- https://www.youtube.com/user/talkingbees – this is just one of the many YouTube channel options available. Talkingbees does a good job of introducing basic grammar concepts and vocabulary.
- https://tangleofwires.wordpress.com/learning-bengali/- a great blog that can connect you to a variety of different resources. I would highly recommend the phrasebook that the blog mentions. Here is the same blog’s review of that book: https://tangleofwires.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/bengali-bangla-dictionary-phrasebook-review-hanne-ruth-thompson/.
- https://www.mybengaliresources.com/index.php/resources- Tons of activities, printable exercises, and more. Better yet, all of the resources are clearly organized into a variety of different topic categories.
- https://www.everydaylanguagelearner.com/language-learning-resources/language-specific-resources/bengali-resources/ - want to listen to media in the Bengali language? Want to find Bengali books to read? This website has it all. I would especially recommend the following link: https://dsal.uchicago.edu/digbooks/dig_toc.html?BOOKID=PK1663.D6_1976. It provides a clear and cogent introduction to the Bengali language.
- https://sites.google.com/site/soyouwanttolearnalanguage/bengali - has one of the best conglomeration of Bengali websites of anywhere on the web. I especially like Bengali notes link (https://www.it-c.dk/people/pfw/bengali/), which is simply notes from a Bengali student. The notes have some mistakes, but looking at someone else’s notes is very beneficial.
Now, you may be undecided on whether or not to learn the Bengali Language. It is first important to say on this subject that Bengali is widely spoken in India; in fact, besides Hindi-Urdu, it is the second most spoken language in India. I say this because it is proof that Bengali has speakers outside of Bangladesh. It is also important to say, however, that Bengali uses an alphabet that is rather different from the English alphabet. For example, each consonant has an inherent vowel with different pronunciations. Bengali is also sometimes called one of the more difficult languages for English speakers to learn.
As a side note, if you learn Bengali, you could consider becoming an English to Bengali Translator. Because there are fewer people capable of doing this type of translation, English to Bengali translators are often paid at a higher rate than, say English to Spanish translators or English to French Translators.
Photo Credit: A.K.M. Monjurul Hoque Topu
