Linguistic Purism in Bengali Language in Bangladesh: Myth and Reality
Keywords:
linguistics purism, pure language, language purist, linguistics human right, foreign-language criticism
Abstract
The paper traces the historical development of "linguistic purism" worldwide as well as in Bangladesh. It also denotes the origin and development of the Bengali language in terms of pidginization and creolization. Furthermore, initiatives of linguistic purism in Bangladesh by linguistic purists and the government are explored from historical and socio-linguistic points of view. The myth and reality of linguistic purism in Bangladesh are explored with due reference. The issues (language pollution, language deteoration, language oppression, language extinction, language health, etc.) which are raised by language purists in Bangladesh are critically analyzed in this paper. The debate over "loan words" and "borrowing words," code-mixing, and code-switching is explained in the context of Bangladesh. The paper investigates the pros and cons of linguistic purism and its consequences for linguistic development in Bangladesh. How linguistic purism is related to linguistic human rights is vividly illustrated herewith.
References
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Bakker, P. (1994). Pidgins and Creoles: An Introduction. John Benjamins.
Bandov, F. (2017). Anglicisms in the Russian language: colloquialisms and linguistic purism in the Russian language. University of Zadar.
Bangla Language. (n.d.). Banglapedia. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bangla_Language
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Bhattacharja, S. (2016). বাংলা ভাষার দূষণ: দায়ী কে? https://shishirbhattacharja.com/বাংলা-ভাষার-দূষণ-দায়ী-কে/
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Bilaniuk, L. (2017). Purism and Pluralism: Language Use Trends in Popular Culture in Ukraine since Independence. Harvard Ukrainian Studies, 4(35), 293–309.
Cohen, R. (2007). Creolization and cultural globalization: the soft sounds of fugitive power. Globalizations, 4(3), 369–373. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747730701532492
Crytal, D. (n.d.). The consequence of global English . Retrieved November 7, 2021, from https://www.davidcrystal.com/Files/BooksAndArticles/-4074.pdf
Cser, A. (2009). English Purist Tendencies in a Comparative Perspective. Selected Proceedings of the 2008 Symposium on New Approaches in English Historical Lexis (HEL-LEX 2), 36–40.
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Holm, J. (2000). An Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles. In Cambridge University Press.
Hoque, K. R. (2007). Bangla Bhashay Arobi Farsi Turki Hindi Urdu Shobder Abhidhan. Bangla Academy.
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Kabir, H. (2019). বাংলা ভাষার বিকৃতি দূষণ দেখবে কে. Dainik Amader Shomoy. https://www.dainikamadershomoy.com/post/184004
Kapović, M. (2011). Language, Ideology and Politics in Croatia Mate. Slavia Centralis, IV(2), 45–56. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.17161/SCN.1808.8578
Khan, N. (2016, February 21). The extinction of Bangla . The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/amar-ekushey-2016/the-extinction-bangla-575215
Langer, N., & Davies, W. V. (2005). Linguistic Purism in the Germanic Languages. Linguistic Purism in the Germanic Languages. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110901351
Langer, N., & Nesse, A. (2012). Linguistic Purism. The Handbook of Historical Sociolinguistics, March, 607–625. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118257227.ch33
Linguistic purism: How English fought for language purity. (2016). India Today. https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/english-language-purity-fight-332123-2016-07-29
Marszalek-Kowalewska, K. (2011). Iranian language policy : a case of linguistic purism. Investigationes Linguisticae, XXII, 89–103.
Masud, K. (2012). Protecting language: Bangladesh high court order. Pakistan Today. https://vclibrary.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/protecting-language-bangladesh-high-court-order/
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Mukherjee, B. (2021). Misuse and indifference of Bengali language. Www.Kholakagojbd.Com. http://www.kholakagojbd.com/prints/71327
Muysken, P., & Smith, N. (1994a). 1. The study of pidgin and creole languages. 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1075/cll.15.05muy
Muysken, P., & Smith, N. (1994b). The study of pidgin and creole languages. 3–14. https://benjamins.com/catalog/cll.15.05muy
Nordquist, R. (2020). Definition and Examples of Linguistic Purism. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/purism-language-1691704
Pande, M. (2018). Dear ‘Purists’, Hindi Is Not Being Diluted, It Is Just Evolving. Www.Thequint.Com. https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/dynamic-and-democratic-dear-purists-let-the-hindi-language-grow-literature-pakhwada-divas-english
Prifti, E. (2009). Language Modernization vs. Linguistic Protectionism Using extensive borrowings from English to derive new words as part of modernization vs. using language internal processes to create new lexical items. 1–12.
Scheel, S. L. (1998). French Language Purism: French Linguistic Development and Current National Attitudes (Issue June). University of Oregon.
Schwin, H. (2018). Linguistic purism and language criticism in German. Heso, 3(1), 95–102. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.17885/heiup.heso.2018.0.23885 HESO
Shekhar, S. (2020, July 15). বাংলা একাডেমি আধুনিক অভিধান : বানান-প্রতর্ক. Www.Risingbd.Com. https://www.risingbd.com/art-literature/361770
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Stewart, C. C. (Charles C. (2007). Creolization: History, Ethnography, Theory. Left Coast Press.
Suraiya, S. (2020). Pidgins and Creoles: Birth of Languages. Jurnal Adabiya, 19(1), 57. https://doi.org/10.22373/adabiya.v19i1.7485
Thomason, S. G., & Kaufman, T. (n.d.). Language contact, creolization, and genetic linguistics. 411.
Todd, L. (2003). Pidgins and creoles. Pidgins and Creoles. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203381199
Veisbergs, A. (2010). Development of the Latvian Language, Purism and Prescriptivism. Linguistic Studies in Latvia, 18(1), 7–32.
Winkler, E. (2012). Understanding Language (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing.
Wise, J., & Karim, F. (translator). (1883). Bengali transaltion of Notes on the races, castes and trades of Eastern Bengal (Part 3) (M. Mamoon (Ed.)).
Zanna Isa, B., Halilu, K. A., & Ahmed, H. K. (2015). " The Concept of Pidgin and Creole ". IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 20(3), 14–21. https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-20351421
Akter, M. Y. (2020). ভাষায় দূষণ এবং ভালোবাসায় সংকোচন. https://www.jugantor.com/todays-paper/sub-editorial/278044/ভাষায়-দূষণ-এবং-ভালোবাসায়-সংকোচন
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Angkan, M. (2019). ভাষা দূষণ : বাংলা ভাষা বিলুপ্তির পথে! Dainik Purbodesh. https://dailypurbodesh.com/ভাষা-দূষণ-বাংলা-ভাষা-বিলু/
Azad, A. hossain. (2019). ভাষা দূষণ রোধ করুন. Dainik Janata. http://www.djanata.com/index.php?ref=MjBfMDJfMjZfMTlfMV80XzFfMjM3Mjcw
Azad, H. (1999). Bangla Bhashar Shatrumitra: The Foes and Friends of Bengali language (2nd ed.). Osman Gani of Agamee Prakashani.
Bakker, P. (1994). Pidgins and Creoles: An Introduction. John Benjamins.
Bandov, F. (2017). Anglicisms in the Russian language: colloquialisms and linguistic purism in the Russian language. University of Zadar.
Bangla Language. (n.d.). Banglapedia. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bangla_Language
Baron, R. A., & Cara, A. C. (2011). Creolization as Cultural Creativity. University Press of Mississippi.
Bhattacharja, S. (2016). বাংলা ভাষার দূষণ: দায়ী কে? https://shishirbhattacharja.com/বাংলা-ভাষার-দূষণ-দায়ী-কে/
Bickerton, D. (1976). Pidgin and creole studies. Annual Review of Anthropology, 5(1), 169–193. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.an.05.100176.001125
Bilaniuk, L. (2017). Purism and Pluralism: Language Use Trends in Popular Culture in Ukraine since Independence. Harvard Ukrainian Studies, 4(35), 293–309.
Cohen, R. (2007). Creolization and cultural globalization: the soft sounds of fugitive power. Globalizations, 4(3), 369–373. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747730701532492
Crytal, D. (n.d.). The consequence of global English . Retrieved November 7, 2021, from https://www.davidcrystal.com/Files/BooksAndArticles/-4074.pdf
Cser, A. (2009). English Purist Tendencies in a Comparative Perspective. Selected Proceedings of the 2008 Symposium on New Approaches in English Historical Lexis (HEL-LEX 2), 36–40.
Devy, G. N. (2019). The Lanaguge of Humanity. Www.Dtnext.In. https://www.dtnext.in/News/TopNews/2019/10/03021548/1190096/The-Language-of-Humanity.vpf
Ferdousi, N. (2017). How far the use of ‘Bangla’ in the Court of Bangladesh? The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/law-our-rights/how-far-the-use-bangla-the-court-bangladesh-1364722
General Assembly hears appeal for Bangla to be made an official UN language | | UN News. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2010/09/353662-general-assembly-hears-appeal-bangla-be-made-official-un-language
Gray.E. (2020). Are loanwords enriching or harming languages? Www.Linguisticsonline.Net. https://www.linguisticsonline.net/post/does-borrowing-words-make-a-language-richer-or-poorer
HC for legal action against Coca-Cola for using offensive Bangla words | The Asian Age Online, Bangladesh. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://dailyasianage.com/news/168015/hc-for-legal-action-against-coca-cola-for-using-offensive-bangla-words
HC issues rule against Coca-Cola... (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/english/HC-issues-rule-against-Coca-Cola/20813
HC issues rule over using ‘indecent’ words in CocaCola adds – Bangladesh News Gazette. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://bangladeshnewsgazette.com/hc-issues-rule-over-using-indecent-words-in-cocacola-adds/
Holm, J. (2000). An Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles. In Cambridge University Press.
Hoque, K. R. (2007). Bangla Bhashay Arobi Farsi Turki Hindi Urdu Shobder Abhidhan. Bangla Academy.
Hossain, S. F. (2021, February 22). বাংলা ভাষার বিকৃতি : রোধ করার দায় কার – Dainik Amader Shomoy. Www.Dainikamadershomoy.Com. https://www.dainikamadershomoy.com/post/302770
Hymes, D. (2012). Linguistic anthropology. Expanding American Anthropology, 1945-1980: A Generation Reflects, 154–163. https://doi.org/10.2307/417509
Islam, A. (2020, August 3). বাংলায় বিদেশি শব্দ বাহাস. Www.Prothomalo.Com. https://www.prothomalo.com/life/durporobash/বাংলায়-বিদেশি-শব্দ-বাহাস
Islam, M. S. (2021, February 16). প্রমিত বাংলা বানানের নিয়ম: অতীত-বর্তমান-ভবিষ্যৎ . Www.Risingbd.Com. https://www.risingbd.com/opinion/news/394759
Islam, T. (2019). The question of standard Bangla. The Independent. https://www.theindependentbd.com/post/215864
Janson, T. (2012). The History of Languages: An Introduction. OUP Oxford. https://books.google.pl/books?id=pE2N7noPfEoC
Kabir, H. (2019). বাংলা ভাষার বিকৃতি দূষণ দেখবে কে. Dainik Amader Shomoy. https://www.dainikamadershomoy.com/post/184004
Kapović, M. (2011). Language, Ideology and Politics in Croatia Mate. Slavia Centralis, IV(2), 45–56. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.17161/SCN.1808.8578
Khan, N. (2016, February 21). The extinction of Bangla . The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/amar-ekushey-2016/the-extinction-bangla-575215
Langer, N., & Davies, W. V. (2005). Linguistic Purism in the Germanic Languages. Linguistic Purism in the Germanic Languages. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110901351
Langer, N., & Nesse, A. (2012). Linguistic Purism. The Handbook of Historical Sociolinguistics, March, 607–625. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118257227.ch33
Linguistic purism: How English fought for language purity. (2016). India Today. https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/english-language-purity-fight-332123-2016-07-29
Marszalek-Kowalewska, K. (2011). Iranian language policy : a case of linguistic purism. Investigationes Linguisticae, XXII, 89–103.
Masud, K. (2012). Protecting language: Bangladesh high court order. Pakistan Today. https://vclibrary.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/protecting-language-bangladesh-high-court-order/
Matthews, B. (1921). Essays on English. C. Scribner’s sons. https://books.google.pl/books?id=ShYFAQAAIAAJ
Mufwene, S. S. (2015). Pidgin and Creole Languages. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences: Second Edition, March 2015, 133–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.52014-5
Mukherjee, B. (2021). Misuse and indifference of Bengali language. Www.Kholakagojbd.Com. http://www.kholakagojbd.com/prints/71327
Muysken, P., & Smith, N. (1994a). 1. The study of pidgin and creole languages. 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1075/cll.15.05muy
Muysken, P., & Smith, N. (1994b). The study of pidgin and creole languages. 3–14. https://benjamins.com/catalog/cll.15.05muy
Nordquist, R. (2020). Definition and Examples of Linguistic Purism. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/purism-language-1691704
Pande, M. (2018). Dear ‘Purists’, Hindi Is Not Being Diluted, It Is Just Evolving. Www.Thequint.Com. https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/dynamic-and-democratic-dear-purists-let-the-hindi-language-grow-literature-pakhwada-divas-english
Prifti, E. (2009). Language Modernization vs. Linguistic Protectionism Using extensive borrowings from English to derive new words as part of modernization vs. using language internal processes to create new lexical items. 1–12.
Scheel, S. L. (1998). French Language Purism: French Linguistic Development and Current National Attitudes (Issue June). University of Oregon.
Schwin, H. (2018). Linguistic purism and language criticism in German. Heso, 3(1), 95–102. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.17885/heiup.heso.2018.0.23885 HESO
Shekhar, S. (2020, July 15). বাংলা একাডেমি আধুনিক অভিধান : বানান-প্রতর্ক. Www.Risingbd.Com. https://www.risingbd.com/art-literature/361770
Siddika, F. (2020, February 21). ভাষা :ভালোবাসা না অবহেলা? Samakal.Com. https://samakal.com/todays-print-edition/tp-special-feature/article/200227378/-ভাষা-ভালোবাসা-না-অবহেলা
Sikder, S. (2013). Contemporary Bengali language. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/news/contemporary-bengali-language
Stewart, C. C. (Charles C. (2007). Creolization: History, Ethnography, Theory. Left Coast Press.
Suraiya, S. (2020). Pidgins and Creoles: Birth of Languages. Jurnal Adabiya, 19(1), 57. https://doi.org/10.22373/adabiya.v19i1.7485
Thomason, S. G., & Kaufman, T. (n.d.). Language contact, creolization, and genetic linguistics. 411.
Todd, L. (2003). Pidgins and creoles. Pidgins and Creoles. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203381199
Veisbergs, A. (2010). Development of the Latvian Language, Purism and Prescriptivism. Linguistic Studies in Latvia, 18(1), 7–32.
Winkler, E. (2012). Understanding Language (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing.
Wise, J., & Karim, F. (translator). (1883). Bengali transaltion of Notes on the races, castes and trades of Eastern Bengal (Part 3) (M. Mamoon (Ed.)).
Zanna Isa, B., Halilu, K. A., & Ahmed, H. K. (2015). " The Concept of Pidgin and Creole ". IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 20(3), 14–21. https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-20351421
Published
2022-02-15
How to Cite
Awal, A. (2022). Linguistic Purism in Bengali Language in Bangladesh: Myth and Reality . SELL (Scope of English Language Teaching, Linguistics, and Literature) Journal, 7(1), 57-79. https://doi.org/10.31597/sl.v7i1.720
Section
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