VCE Bengali key terms

The eleven Bengali vowel letters that stand on their own, each written as an independent character and also having a shorter attached form used when it follows a consonant.

The thirty-nine Bengali consonant letters. Each consonant carries an inherent vowel sound unless a vowel sign or other mark changes or silences it.

The shortened vowel signs written beside, above, below or after a consonant to show which vowel follows it, for example the strokes that turn ক into কি or কু.

A small mark placed under a consonant to cancel its built-in vowel sound, so the consonant is pronounced bare, as at the end of many words.

A joined consonant cluster in which two or more consonants combine into a single written shape, often with part of one letter placed beneath another.

The horizontal head-stroke running along the top of most Bengali letters. Letters are written hanging from this line, and its position helps distinguish similar shapes.

The first letter-sound of a word. Knowing it allows a user to find entries quickly in a Bengali dictionary or index arranged in alphabetical order.

The fixed Bengali order of letters, vowels first and then consonants, used for arranging lists, indexes and dictionary entries so items can be located systematically.

A reference book listing words in alphabetical order with their meanings, and often their pronunciation, part of speech and an example of use in a sentence.

A word that carries a meaning close to another word, such as two different words both naming the idea of happiness, though their tone or context may differ.

A word expressing the opposite of another, such as the pair formed by words for light and darkness, or by words for giving and taking.

The total stock of words a person understands and can use. A wider store allows more precise expression in speaking and in writing.

The way words are arranged to form a grammatical sentence. Bengali normally places the verb at the end, with the subject first and the object before the verb.

The doer of the action in a sentence, the element that the verb agrees with and that usually appears first in ordinary Bengali word order.

The person or thing that receives the action of a verb, normally placed before the verb in Bengali and marked in some sentences by a special ending.

The word or word group that expresses what is done or what happens in a sentence. In Bengali it usually comes last and changes form for tense and person.

The time reference of a verb, showing whether an action happens now, happened before, or will happen later, each marked by its own verb ending.

The grammatical category that classifies nouns and pronouns as masculine, feminine or neuter. Bengali marks this less than many languages, mainly in some kinship and title words.

The distinction between singular and plural in nouns, pronouns and verbs. Bengali usually shows plural by adding a suffix or a separate plural word.

A word used in place of a noun, such as the words for I, you, he, she or they, chosen according to the speaker, the listener and the person spoken about.

A pronoun form used to show respect or politeness to the person addressed or discussed, distinct from the forms used for close friends, children or social inferiors.

The polite, formal register used in official letters, news reports, academic writing and public speeches, marked by respectful pronouns and fuller sentence structures.

The relaxed, everyday register used with family and friends, allowing short forms, slang and casual pronouns that would be out of place in formal writing.

A variety of Bengali spoken in a particular region, differing from the standard in pronunciation and some vocabulary, such as the speech of Chittagong or Sylhet.

A regional or social variant of a language that shares most grammar and vocabulary with the standard but has its own consistent sound and word patterns.

The standard, accepted form of a language used in education, broadcasting and published writing, taken as the correct model in formal contexts.

An older literary style of Bengali with fuller verb endings, once standard in prose writing but now largely confined to older texts and deliberate archaism.

The modern spoken-based style of Bengali with shortened verb endings, now the normal medium of contemporary prose, journalism and everyday writing.

A short piece of writing that develops and supports a central argument or viewpoint on a topic, usually with an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.

The subject matter and ideas contained in a text, as distinct from its style or form; a summary of it states what the text is actually about.

The central message or main point that a whole text or passage conveys, which a reader should be able to state briefly after reading it.

A judgement or position reached after weighing evidence and reasoning, often the closing point an argumentative text works towards.

Reasoning offered to support a claim, made up of evidence and the logical steps that connect that evidence to the conclusion being argued.

Facts, examples, statistics or quotations used to support a statement, giving the reader grounds to accept a claim as credible.

Concrete factual material such as names, dates, numbers or events that a text presents, which a reader may be asked to locate and report.

A shortened account of a text that keeps its main ideas in the writer's own words while leaving out detail, examples and repetition.

The implied or deeper meaning of a statement, beyond the literal sense of its words, which a reader must infer from context and tone.

A figurative or extended sense of a word, used when the literal meaning is not intended, as in idiomatic expressions and metaphorical phrases.

A deliberate stylistic device such as simile, metaphor or alliteration that a writer uses to heighten the expressive effect of language.

A written message addressed to a person or organisation, following conventions of greeting, body, closing and signature that vary with formality and purpose.

A formal written request to an authority, typically stating the writer's purpose, giving relevant details and closing with a respectful request for action.

An organised factual account of an event, situation or investigation, written for a defined audience and usually including findings and recommendations.

An exchange of speech between two or more characters or speakers, written in turns and shaped by each speaker's purpose, relationship and tone.