Bengali, a language rich in cultural heritage and spoken by millions primarily in Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, shares significant similarities with several other languages in the Indo-Aryan language family. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Bengali are Assamese, Nepali, Odia, Marwari, and Marathi.
- Assamese (91.3)
Spoken primarily in Assam, an Indian state that borders Bangladesh, it is no surprise this language is the most similar to Bengali. A significant number of cognates exist between Bengali and Assamese, thanks to their shared roots in Magadhi Prakrit and extensive borrowing from Sanskrit. The two languages share phonetic similarities as well. - Nepali (85.7)
Nepali is mainly spoken in Nepal, a country located in between India and China. Both Bengali and Nepali belong to the Indo-Aryan language family, which endows them with several common linguistic features. Their Sanskrit roots result in a substantial overlap in vocabulary between the two languages. - Odia (84.9)
The Indian state of Odisha does not border Bangladesh, but it does border West Bengal. As a result, Odia has many similarities with Bengali. Both languages exhibit similar phonetic characteristics, including the use of retroflex and dental consonants. However, Odia’s pronunciation rules, like the use of aspirated consonants, set it apart from Bengali. - Marwari (78.7)
Marwari is primarily spoken in Rajasthan, an Indian state that borders Pakistan. As members of the Indo-Aryan family, both Bengali and Marwari share foundational linguistic structures and vocabulary. The incorporation of Sanskrit and Persian loanwords into both languages contributes to their lexical similarity. - Marathi (78.4)
Marathi is another language that is spoken by many people in India. Common linguistic heritage results in similarities in structure and vocabulary between Bengali and Marathi. Both languages have extensively borrowed from Sanskrit, enhancing the words they have in common.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people)