66 
F. E. Pargifcer —Notes on the Chittagong Dialect. 
[No. 1, 
Notes on the Chittagong Dialect.—Dy F. E. Parqiter, B. A., C. S. 
Introductory Remarks. 
The language spoken in Chittagong is a dialect of Bengali, but 
greatly corrupted, owing to the remote position of the district, the 
strong Mubammadan element in the population, and the tendency in 
East Bengal to speak quickly and clip the words. 
These causes have been at work in Bakarganj, and the country east 
of the Meghna, and the language spoken there differs from ordinary good 
Bengali, the difference increasing as we proceed south-eastwards. The 
extreme is reached in Chittagong where the difference is so marked that 
a native from other parts of Bengal does not readily understand the 
language. Thus ^Tft?r means ^1, I can¬ 
not see ; means everything; stands for 
after that. Ordinary colloquial Bengali is also met with there, or at 
least words used in ordinary colloquial Bengali, but such words are 
mixed up with purely local expressions, so that without a knowledge 
of the latter, it is not easy to understand what is said. 
In offering these notes on the Chittagong dialect I know how 
incomplete they are, how many matters are unnoticed, and how much 
remains to be filled in to render this sketch thoroughly serviceable. 
These notes were collected some years ago, when I was residing in 
Chittagong. I have since then collected memoranda when studying the 
colloquial in other districts of Eastern Bengal where I have been. 
Several of the peculiarities here noticed are not confined to Chittagong, 
but prevail generally throughout Eastern Bengal, though not in so 
marked a degree. I may hope, however, that these notes, incomplete 
though they are, may be of use to others, whether as an aid in learning 
the vernacular, or as an inducement to supply what is wanting. 
Notes on the Grammar of Chittagong Dialect. 
Pronunciation of the Letters. 
The letters are the same as in pure Bengali; but the following 
peculiarities may be noticed— 
^ at the beginning of a word very often has the sound of the let¬ 
ters ^ (h) and ^ (kh) in the Hindustani—thus “ a split bam¬ 
boo ” is pronounced l^aim ; “ whither P ” khonde ; “ who ” 
khaun. 
is often pronounced like ; and is sometimes corrupted to 
thus ftfq, “ I should recognise him if I 
his face.” 
saw 
