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

Rangpuri

A language of Bangladesh

ISO 639-3: rkt

Population  10,000,000 in Bangladesh (2007). Population total all countries: 15,000,000.
Region  Rajshahi Division north from Bogra, also known as the greater Dinajpur and Rangpur areas, now subdivided into Rangpur, Lalmonihat, Nilphamari, Gaibanda, Panchagar, Thakurgaon, and Dinajpur districts. Also in India.
Language map  Bangladesh
Alternate names   Bahe Bangla, Anchalit Bangla, Kamta, Polia
Classification  Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Eastern zone, Bengali-Assamese
Language development  Dictionary. Grammar.
Writing system  Bengali script. Kamtapura script, may be in use in Koch Bihar.

Also spoken in:

India

Language name   Kamta
Population  5,000,000 in India (2007).
Region  West Bengal, Jalpaiguri, Uttar Dinajpur, Koch Bihar, Darjeeling districts; Assam, Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts.
Alternate names  Kamtapuri, Rajbangsi, Rajbansi, Rajbanshi, Rajbongshi, Goalparia, Koch Rajbanshi
Language use  Strong vitality in West Bengal and parts of Assam near Koch Bihar. Vitality weakens east of Dhubri in Assam. All ages. There is a strong language movement and the language has been taken up as a symbol of the political aspirations of the speech community. Those farthest east in Assam tend to prefer Assamese over their mother tongue. Speakers in West Bengal have adequate, basic proficiency to good, general proficiency in Bengali. Bilingual ability increases with education. Speakers in Assam use Assamese with varying levels of proficiency.
Language development  Literacy rate in L2: 15-20% men, lower for women (WfA 07).
Comments  Agriculturalists. Hindu mixed with traditional.
 

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

TOULMIN, Matthew, author. 2011. Mui tui Bangla, Rajbanshi or Kamatapuri-- A study of language, ideology and classification in north Bengal.