Bangla

English

Etymology 1

Unadapted borrowing from Bengali বাংলা (baṅla).

Proper noun

Bangla

1. (nonstandard) Synonym of Bengali (language).
   • 2010, Somdev Kar, Syllable Structure of Bangla, page 12:

     The segmental phones of Bangla are slightly different from those of other Indo-European languages.

   • 2011, Munayem Mayenin, Baanglara My Bangla Tutor, page 442:

     I have spent a great deal of time in the subject of Bangla spelling reform, researched about it, written and published about it. I have written in Bangla in the reform I proposed for many years.

   • 2015, Anne Boyle David, Thomas J. Conners, Dustin Chacón, Descriptive Grammar of Bangla, page 13:

     The best thorough treatment of Bangla phonetics and phonology remains Ferguson and Chowdhury (1960).

   • 2021 October 6, Howard Johnston, “Regional News: Anglia”, in RAIL, number 941, page 29:

     Whitechapel: Transport for London has been asked to erect signs at the Elizabeth Line station in Bangla, as well as English, to reflect the East End's cultural diversity. There are already bilingual notices at Southall.

2. The region where Bangla is spoken.
   • 2001, Mohāmmada Hānanāna, Political History of Bangladesh, page 23:

     Historian Neehar Ranjan Roy has said that although the place lay on the footsteps of the Himalayas, it was in fact linked to the Bangla region.

   • 2018, Abul Kalam, Bangladesh’s Maritime Policy:

     As the Greek histories suggest, Alexander the Great was unsuccessful in his bid to conquer the Bangla region, then known as Gangaridai/Gangaridi, largely due to the military prowess of the people of the region;

   • 2021, Dibyendu Chakraborty, Origin of Bangla Seventh Part Ghoti Children of the Land of Five Male Rivers:

     All the river banks of the western parts of Bangla have such places which include the catchment areas of Mayurakhi, Ajay, Banka, Damodar, Dwarakeswar, Kangsabati, etc.”

Etymology 2

Clipping of Bangladeshi.

Pronunciation

• (Singapore, Malaysia) IPA^(key): /ˈbaŋla/

Noun

Bangla (plural Banglas)

1. (Singapore, Malaysia, British, offensive, ethnic slur) A Bangladeshi.
2. Bengali ethnicity
   • 2005, Indian Literature - Volume 49, Issues 5-6, page 118:

     This cooking's so different he says, from their Bangla cooking.

   • 2022 April 15, Rajesh Jha/Dhaka, “Bangla New Year Pohela Boisakh celebrated in Bangladesh”, in News On Air:

     After a gap of two years caused by the Covid 19 pandemic, the Bangla new year Pohela Boisakh was celebrated across Bangladesh on Thursday, April 14 with enthusiasm and festivity.

   • 2022 April 20, Dipawali Mitra, “Bangla calendars live through ages, evolve to welcome 1429”, in The Times of India:

     On Friday, Bengalis will welcome 1429 as per Bangla calendar

Anagrams

• Baglan, Bagnal, Galban, galban