Historically, the Bengali language has two main literary styles. These are the elegant literary style, Shadhu Bhasha (সাধুভাষা), and the modern standard colloquial style, Cholito Bhasha (চলিতভাষা).
1. Overview of Each Style
Shadhu Bhasha (Literary Style)
- Meaning: "Elegant/Pure Language"
- Features: This is a lofty and formal written style that was widely used in literary works and official documents from the 19th to the early 20th century. It is characterized by its heavy use of formal words directly borrowed from Sanskrit (তৎসম শব্দ, Tatsama shobdo) and its longer verb conjugation forms compared to the modern language.
- English Expressions: "Literary Bengali", "Formal Bengali", "Classical Bengali"
- Current Status: It is not used in everyday life today. Much like "Old English" or classical forms of other languages, it is studied in school to understand classic literature.
Cholito Bhasha (Colloquial Style)
- Meaning: "Current/Popular Language"
- Features: This is the standard language based on modern spoken Bengali. Compared to Shadhu Bhasha, its verbs and pronouns are shortened, giving it a more rhythmic and natural sound. Its vocabulary also includes words of Sanskrit origin that have been colloquially modified (তদ্ভব শব্দ, Tadbhava shobdo), as well as loanwords from Persian, Arabic, and English.
- Current Status: This is the standard Bengali used in all contexts today, including newspapers, magazines, books, television, and daily conversation.
2. Example of Differences
Let's compare the opening of Tagore's novel, Bou-thakuranir Haat.
Original (Shadhu Bhasha)
রাত্রি অনেক হইয়াছে। বাতাস বন্ধ হইয়া গিয়াছে। গাছের পাতাটিও নড়িতেছে না। ... উদয়াদিত্য তাঁহার শয়ন-গৃহের বাতায়নে বসিয়া আছেন।
Modern Version (Cholito Bhasha)
রাত অনেক হয়েছে। বাতাস বন্ধ হয়ে গেছে। গাছের পাতাটাও নড়ছে না। ... উদয়াদিত্য তাঁর শোবার ঘরের জানলার ধারে বসে আছেন।
Summary of Changes (with Romanization)
| Type of Change | Shadhu Bhasha (Literary) | Cholito Bhasha (Colloquial) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb Conjugation | হইয়াছে (hoiyache) |
হয়েছে (hoyeche) |
has become |
| Verb Conjugation | হইয়া গিয়াছে (hoiya giyache) |
হয়ে গেছে (hoye geche) |
has become (emphatic) |
| Verb Conjugation | নড়িতেছে (noṛiteche) |
নড়ছে (noṛche) |
is moving |
| Pronoun | তাঁহার (tãhar) |
তাঁর (tãr) |
his/her |
| Vocabulary (Noun) | শয়ন-গৃহ (śoyon-griho) |
শোবার ঘর (śobar ghor) |
bedroom |
| Vocabulary (Noun) | রাত্রি (ratri) |
রাত (raat) |
night |
3. Learning Bengali and the Two Styles
How to Learn
When learning Bengali, it is essential to start with Cholito Bhasha. All modern communication is conducted in Cholito Bhasha, making it the most efficient and practical starting point. Beginning with Shadhu Bhasha is completely unrealistic for a modern learner.
When is Shadhu Bhasha Necessary?
- Reading Classic Literature: To enjoy classic works by authors like Tagore in their original form, a knowledge of Shadhu Bhasha is necessary.
- Legal Field: The texts of older laws in Bangladesh are often written in Shadhu Bhasha. It can be necessary for legal research and practice. (Although a law was passed in 1987 to promote the use of Bengali in courts, knowledge of Shadhu Bhasha remains essential for interpreting older laws.)
4. Relationship with Hindi
Shadhu Bhasha vs. Cholito Bhasha: Which is Closer to Hindi?
In conclusion, Shadhu Bhasha is closer to Hindi in terms of vocabulary, and can be considered closer overall.
- Vocabulary: This is the most crucial point. Shadhu Bhasha and formal Hindi both heavily use words borrowed directly from Sanskrit (Tatsama words), so they share a large common vocabulary. In contrast, Cholito Bhasha uses more colloquially evolved words (Tadbhava words) and loanwords, reducing its lexical similarity to Hindi.
| Meaning | Shadhu Bhasha (Bengali) | Hindi | Cholito Bhasha (Bengali) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moon | চন্দ্র (Condro) | चंद्र (Chandra) | চাঁদ (Cãd) |
| Hand | হস্ত (Hosto) | हस्त (Hast) | হাত (Hat) |
| Book | পুস্তক (Pustok) | पुस्तक (Pustak) | বই (Boi) |
| Night | রাত্রি (Ratri) | रात्रि (Ratri) | রাত (Raat) |
- Grammar: Grammatically, both Shadhu and Cholito Bhasha are distinctly different from Hindi. Notably, Hindi has grammatical gender (masculine/feminine nouns), which Bengali lacks entirely.
The Hindi Version of "Shadhu Bhasha"
Hindi has a formal register comparable to Shadhu Bhasha, known as Shuddh Hindi (शुद्ध हिन्दी - Pure Hindi). It also heavily uses Sanskrit vocabulary. However, while Shadhu Bhasha differs from modern Bengali at a grammatical level (e.g., verb endings), Shuddh Hindi differs from standard Hindi mainly in its vocabulary; the grammatical structure remains the same.
Other Old Literary Forms in Hindi: Braj Bhasha and Awadhi
In the past, languages like Braj Bhasha and Awadhi were the literary standards in the Hindi belt. These were central to literature until around the 19th century and are grammatically and lexically distinct from modern Hindi.
In being grammatically different older literary forms, they are similar to Shadhu Bhasha. However, a key difference is that Shadhu Bhasha is a direct ancestor of modern Bengali, whereas Braj Bhasha and Awadhi are more like "side branches" to modern standard Hindi (which is based on the Khari Boli dialect of the Delhi region).