Eastern Nagari script facts for kids

The Bengali–Assamese script is also known as the Eastern Nagari script. It is one of the most widely used writing systems in the world. This script is the base for the Bengali, Assamese alphabet, and Tirhuta alphabets. It is also used to write languages like Bishnupriya Manipuri, Kokborok (Tripuri), and Meithei (Manipuri).

In the past, other languages such as Angika, Bodo, Karbi, Maithili, and Mising were also written using the Bengali–Assamese script. Today, Modern Sylheti uses this alphabet along with its own Sylheti Nagari script. This script was first used to write Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. Even now, in Eastern India, the Eastern Nagari script is still used for Sanskrit.

What is the Eastern Nagari Script?

The Bengali–Assamese script was not made for just one language. Instead, it became the main writing system in the eastern parts of Medieval India. People also used this script to write Sanskrit. Important Hindu stories like the Mahabharata and Ramayana were written in older forms of the Eastern Nagari script in this region.

After the medieval period, Pali became the main written language, taking over from Sanskrit. Over time, the local versions of Pali changed and grew into languages like Bengali, Assamese, and other related languages.

Many important writers used this script. For example, Sankardev wrote his works in Assamese using this script in the 15th and 16th centuries. Madhava Kandali used it to write the Assamese Ramayana in the 14th century. Later, the kings of the Ahom kingdom used it to write their historical records, called Buranjis, in Assamese. There is a rich history of literature from Eastern India written in this script. People still use it sometimes for Sanskrit today.

How the Script Works

Like the Devanagari script, Eastern Nagari uses many combinations of consonant sounds. These are shown by different and sometimes tricky characters. This means learning to read the script can be hard because there are about 500 different characters and combinations to learn.

People are working to make the script more standard for the Bengali language. Places like the Bangla Academy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, are trying to create a uniform way of spelling. However, many people still use older ways of writing letters. Today, only the Bengali and Assamese versions of this script are fully organized and widely used.

Computers are also helping to standardize the Eastern Nagari script. Since about 2001, people have been creating Unicode fonts for it. It looks like the script might split into two main versions: a traditional one and a modern one.

Script Details

In articles about Assamese and Bengali languages on Wikipedia, you might see a special way of writing words using Roman letters. This is called Romanization. It helps people who don't know the script understand how the words sound. You might also see IPA symbols, which show the exact sounds of the words.

Vowels

• Assamese Vowels
• Bengali Vowels
• Maithili Vowels

The Eastern Nagari script has 11 vowel letters. These letters are used to make the seven vowel sounds in Bengali and eight vowel sounds in Assamese. They also help create many vowel combinations called diphthongs. All these vowel letters are used in both Assamese and Bengali.

Some vowels sound different depending on the word they are in. Also, some vowel differences are kept in the writing system but are not actually spoken in modern Bengali or Assamese. For example, the script has two letters for the "i" sound and two letters for the "u" sound. This is because when Eastern Nagari was used for Sanskrit, that language had both short and long "i" and "u" sounds. These letters are still in the script with their old names, like "short i" and "long i," even though they sound the same in everyday speech now.

There are two other modified vowels, অ' and অ্যা. They are not considered main letters of the script. However, they are often used in Assamese and Bengali to show certain vowel sounds clearly. The vowel অ্যা, used in Bengali, is often used when writing texts that were originally in other alphabets, like Latin.

Vowel signs are used with consonants to change how the consonant is pronounced. If there is no vowel sign, the vowel "অ" (ô) is the default sound for the consonant. For example, the letter চ is pronounced "cho." To show that a vowel is not present, a special mark called a hôsôntô (্) can be written under the consonant, like দ্ which is pronounced "d."

Consonants

The names of consonant letters in Eastern Nagari usually combine the consonant's main sound with the default vowel "অ" ô. Since this vowel is not written, most letter names look just like the letter itself. For example, the letter "ঘ" is called ঘ ghô, not just gh.

Some letters have lost their unique sounds in modern Assamese and Bengali. They now sound the same as other letters. For instance, the "n" sound can be written with ন, ণ, or ঞ. These letters are not just called nô. Instead, they are called "dental nô," "cerebral nô," and niô to show their original differences. Similarly, the "sh" or "s" sound can be written as "palatal shô/xhô" শ, "cerebral shô/xhô" ষ, or "dental sô/xô" স, depending on the word.

Numbers and Digits

The Eastern Nagari script has its own set of numbers, just like many other writing systems.

Images for kids

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  Purbi Nagari Lipi (Eastern Nagari script) written in Assamese and Bengali