Is there a common, everyday word for water used by all Bengalis? The author of this Bengali dictionary says "pani" is mainly used by the Muslim community. Is that true? It's surprising if there really is a difference for such a basic word.
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Bengali: water
- Thread starter mundiya
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- bengali (bangla)
Sujon
Member
Bangla
Yes that is true.
When referring to "water", a Bengali Muslim will always say "Pani" and a Bengali Hindu will always say "Jawl".
When referring to "water", a Bengali Muslim will always say "Pani" and a Bengali Hindu will always say "Jawl".
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littlepond
Senior Member
Hindi
In my limited experience with Bengalis, "jaul" is the commonly used word for water, not "paani".
Dib
Senior Member
Bengali (India)
This is true, there is a pani ~ jɔl dichotomy in Bengali, the first being primarily used by Muslims, the second by Hindus. It beats me though, how exactly this happened. I believe, pani is the original word, and jɔl a result of Sanskritization. But, Bengali also as spoken by Hindus still retains relics of "pani", e.g. the proverb "dhori machh, na chhu~i pani" (lit. "I catch fish, yet do not touch water"), and the derivatives "panse" (< pani+sa) (bland = tasting like water), "paniphɔl" (water caltrop), the placename "panihaTi > peneTi", etc. [EDIT: More example: pankouRi (<pani-kouRi) (cormorant, a water-bird)]
EDIT: Btw, this Hindu-Muslim division is, of course, often erased when communicating in a mixed group.
Actually, I think the common differences in the secular sphere of life do involve a handful of basic words, like water, invitation (H. nemɔntɔnno (in writing, the tɔtsɔmo form "nimɔntron" is preferred) vs M. daoat) and some relationship words like H. masi ~ M. khala, etc. The more formal the text gets, the fewer are the differences (unless getting into the religious sphere, of course).
EDIT: Btw, this Hindu-Muslim division is, of course, often erased when communicating in a mixed group.
It's surprising if there really is a difference for such a basic word.
Actually, I think the common differences in the secular sphere of life do involve a handful of basic words, like water, invitation (H. nemɔntɔnno (in writing, the tɔtsɔmo form "nimɔntron" is preferred) vs M. daoat) and some relationship words like H. masi ~ M. khala, etc. The more formal the text gets, the fewer are the differences (unless getting into the religious sphere, of course).
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littlepond
Senior Member
Hindi
(H. nemɔntɔnno (in writing, the tatsɔmo form "nimɔntron" is preferred) vs M. daoat)
But, speaking from my Hindi sense, Dib jii, aren't nimantran and daavat two different words, viz. invitation and feast, respectively? Or does "daoat" mean invitation instead of feast in Bengali?
Dib
Senior Member
Bengali (India)
But, speaking from my Hindi sense, Dib jii, aren't nimantran and daavat two different words, viz. invitation and feast, respectively? Or does "daoat" mean invitation instead of feast in Bengali?
To be frank, as a Hindu speaker of Bengali, "daoat" is not exactly a part of my core vocabulary; but I do believe it primarily means "invitation", as it does in original Arabic, da3wa(t)-, which is also a religious term in Islam, meaning an invitation to take up Islam. However, I guess, in Bengali both the "invitation"-words may also be extended to the sense of "feast" in proper context. We do often say "nemɔntɔnno khaoa" (to eat "invitation"), in the sense of going to a feast/banquet on an invitation. I believe, the same applies to Bengali "daoat", and the same must have been the source of the "feast" meaning of Hindi "daavat".
Dib
Senior Member
Bengali (India)
Dib: Does jaul have any religious significance (like some of the other words you have mentioned might)?
There are some kinds of religiously significant "waters" to the Hindus, like the "water from the Ganges" (gɔŋga-jɔl), holy water sprinkled on the devotees after a regious service (shanti-jɔl), etc., but I see no religious significance to stand-alone "jɔl" without any qualifier. Btw, Hindi also uses "gaMgaa-jal", I believe.