Bengali language

Bengali (/bɛŋˈɡɔːli/) or Bangla (/bɑːŋlɑː/; বাংলা Bangla বাংলা [ˈbaŋla]) is the language native to the region of Bengal, which comprises the present-day nation of Bangladesh and of the Indian states West Bengal, Tripura and southern Assam. It is written using the Bengali alphabet. Bengali is the national language in Bangladesh and second most spoken language in India. With about 250 million native and about 300 million total speakers worldwide, it is the seventh most spoken language in the world by total number of native speakers and the eleventh most spoken language by total number of speakers. The importance of this language to the countries of South Asia is illustrated by the history of the national anthems of Bangladesh and India and the national song of India, all first composed in the Bengali language.

Standard Bengali in Bangladesh and West Bengal are marked by some differences in usage, accent, and phonetics. Today, literary form and different dialects of Bengali constitute the primary language spoken in Bangladesh, and the second most commonly spoken language in India. With a rich literary tradition arising from the Bengali renaissance, the Bengali language binds together a culturally diverse region and is an important contributor to Bengali nationalism.