There is a paucity of Bengali resources for the learner. It’s stated in William Radice’s book and is obvious to anyone looking for materials to aid their study.
It’s also something I’m reminded of every time I browse bookshop language sections. Where, faced with ranks of French Conversation, Colloquial Arabic and Extended German Verbs, it’s hard not to start thinking you’re learning an underground language followed only by a handful of adherents, rather than the sixth most widely-spoken language on the planet. The exception to the rule is Waterstones’ flagship Piccadilly branch. It’s a magnificent literary department store and on my visit a couple of months ago it, amazingly, had three books about learning Bengali. Sadly the two non-Radice volumes were expensive and didn’t look particularly inspiring. But at least they were there.
I’d hazard a guess it’s probably the second or third most important Indian language, in terms of number of speakers and cultural importance, but such is Bengali’s historically development and socio-economic place in India, not to mention its comparative marginalisation by the juggernaut that is modern Hindi cinema, that you’d never know. Take the example of the Teach Yourself Books, such as Radice’s, published by Hodder & Staughton. I’m a big fan of their Teach Yourself series, have the Bengali, Hindi and creative writing books and don’t mean to knock them, just harp on a bit more. Continue reading →