Exchange of culture enhances literature.
India, the former largest colony of the British empire, has a huge influence on the English language, literature and lifestyle. They first came to Bengal, and due to that, it is obvious to influence both sides. However, the imperialists tried a lot to suppress this truth throughout history and forecasted a one-sided truth that India has been influenced by the British, not vice-versa. Now, let's know about some Bengali words adapted to English Vocabulary.
Dinghy
Very small boats used for local purposes are termed Dinghy in Bengali. The word was adopted in English vocabulary during the 19th century. The Oxford Dictionary included the word 'Dinghy' in its second edition, in 1989. In English, small airboats kept on ships or large boats for various purposes are called Dinghy.
Bengali
The word Bengali identifies the entire community speaking the Bengali language and also the language as well. The word originated from the word 'Bangali' and was then decided by the British to be used for both cases, the community and the language.
Bungalow
This word came from the Bengali word 'Bangla', which means a single or maximum double storied house or cottage of Bengal style with verandas and dormer windows. The first house in England that was termed as Bungalow, was built in 1869. Now, the word is being used worldwide.
Jute
The English word 'Jute' originated from the Bengali word 'Jhuto' in 1746, which means twisted, curly hair, which the fibres of Jute look alike. The word came up from this concept. And, as most parts of the business of the British empire was dependent on this crop during the colonial era, they included the word in English vocabulary immediately after they stepped on India.
Adda
The Bengali word ‘Adda’ was added to the Oxford Dictionary in the year 2004. The word ‘Adda’ means a physical gathering and chatting of a group of people about something.
Naxalite
It is a political term used for identifying a group of rebels. The word originated from a place of Bengal named Naxalbari, from where the peasant movement began during the 1960s. The movement got so famous throughout the world that it gave birth to the word 'Naxalite'.
Apart from these, there are so many words adapted from Bengali, with a few transformations in some cases, from the names of plants, animals, places, foods, etc.
Plants: Datura from Dhutura, Lichi from Lichu
Animals: Rohu from Ruhi, Hilsa from Ilish, Katla
Places: Calcutta from Kolkata, Dacca from Dhaka, Chinsurah from Chuchura, Burdwan from Bardhaman, Chittagong from Chattagram
Foods: Rasgulla from Roshogolla, Sandesh, Fuchka
Surnames: Chatterjee, Banerjee, Bose, Dutt
Besides all these words, the modern writers of English Literature from Bengal, such as Jhumpa Lahiri, Nirad C. Choudhury, Amitava Ghosh, have included so many Bengali words in their English writings.
