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Ethnologue: Languages of the World
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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > Bangladesh > Chakma

Chakma

A language of Bangladesh

ISO 639-3: ccp

Population  150,000 in Bangladesh (2007). Population total all countries: 550,000.
Region  Southeast, Chittagong Hills area, and Chittagong City. Also in India.
Language maps  Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Alternate names   Sangma, Sakma, Takam
Dialects  Chakma of India [ccp] understood with difficulty. Lexical similarity: 58%–67% with Tanchangya [tnv].
Classification  Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Eastern zone, Bengali-Assamese
Language use  All ages. Positive attitude. Educated and most men also use Bengali [ben].
Language development  Literacy rate in L2: 70%. NT: 1926–1991.
Writing system  Bengali script. Chakma script. Latin script.
Comments  Agriculturalists: paddy rice; fishermen. Buddhist, Christian.

Also spoken in:

India

Language name   Chakma
Population  400,000 in India (2002). Other estimates less than 100,000 (2002).
Region  Mizoram, southwest along Karnafuli River; Tripura, North Tripura District, Kailashahar Subdivision, South Tripura District; Assam, Karbi, Anglong, North Cachar, Cachar districts; Arunachal Pradesh, Tirap District, Changlang District, Miao Subdivision; Lohit District, Chowkham Circle; West Bengal; Manipur.
Alternate names  Chakama, Takam, Tsakma
Language use  Also use Bengali [ben] or Mizo [lus].
Language development  Bilingual primary schools in Tripura and Mizoram.
Comments  A Scheduled Tribe. Swidden agriculturalists. Buddhist syncretism, traditional religion.
 

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

CLIFTON, John M., author. 2009. Orthography development as an ongoing collaborative process: lessons from Bangladesh.  Available online