BengaliEnglish

BengaliEnglish is the blended use of Bengali and English in speech and writing by Bengali-speaking communities. It is not a separate language; rather, it reflects bilingual code-switching, lexical borrowing, and translanguaging that arise where Bengali and English come into sustained contact, especially in urban areas, education settings, media, and among younger speakers.

Common features include inserting English content words or function words into Bengali sentences, mixing English verb tenses or articles with Bengali grammar, and using English phrases at clause boundaries. English loanwords are adapted to Bengali phonology and often appear alongside Bengali morphosyntax. In many contexts, Bengali and English are alternated at sentence or clause level within a single utterance.

Writing and media: Informal writing frequently uses Roman script to render Bengali and English together, a practice known as Roman Bengali or Bangla-romanization. On social media, messaging apps, advertising, and entertainment, BengaliEnglish is widespread in Bangladesh and in the Indian state of West Bengal, as well as among Bengali-speaking diaspora communities.

Sociolinguistic aspects: Attitudes toward BengaliEnglish vary. It is valued as a marker of modernity, education, and global connectedness, while some observers view it as erosion of formal Bengali. Researchers study it under code-switching, bilingualism, and lexical borrowing, noting that speakers often switch languages to suit topic, audience, or discourse style.