Bengali phonology includes the vowels /ɛ/ (an open vowel pronounced as "æ") as well as /e/ (a closed vowel pronounced as "e"), but these are represented by the same letter, এ, which can lead to confusion for learners of the language.
This isn't the only pair of vowels that is represented by the same letter - the inherent vowel (represented by the letter অ) can represent both /o/ ("o") and /ɔ/ ("ô") - but only এ has the potential for creating confusion among learners because of its numerous occurrences and exceptions. Before we tackle it, however, it may help to consider অ for a brief moment and ask ourselves - when does it take the "o" sound and when does it take the "ô" sound?
The rules regarding অ are rather simple and are described here, but additionally, the inherent vowel "ô" takes on the "o" sound in the vowel mutations that occur when conjugating. Specifically, in the 2nd and 3rd person simple present forms, the verbal noun form, and the imperative form we get the "ô" sound. But for all other verb conjugations, including the perfect participle and the verbal infinitive (or the imperfect participle), we get the "o" sound instead. Let's look at conjugations of the verb বলা ("bôla"); also note that the final schwa is always "o":
| Verb form | Word | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal noun | বলা | bôla |
| Verbal infinitive/imperfect participle | বলতে | bolte |
| Simple present (1st person) | বলি | boli |
| Simple present (2nd person VF) | বলিস | bolish |
| Simple present (2nd person F) | বল | bôlo |
| Imperative (2nd person F) | বল | bôlo |
Now that অ is taken care of, we can move to এ. The rules are the same, including those for the vowel mutation that occurs during conjugation - i.e., only the 2nd and 3rd person simple present, the verbal noun, and the imperative forms use the "æ" sound, while all the other forms use the "e" sound instead. This is all fine and dandy for verb forms, but what about the other categories of words? Given a word with the letter এ in it (in the standalone form or as a diacritic), how do you determine its sound?
That's where it gets confusing; while there are some rules for determining the correct sound, they can be hard to remember and may not always serve you well - there are always exceptions! The only saving grace is the fact that the "æ" sound can only be in a word-initial syllable. Hence, any এ that is not in the initial syllable will take the "e" sound.
Below are two lists of words containing এ in them - one set takes the open sound while the other takes the closed sound.
Words with "e" edit
- All pronouns
- The demonstrative pronouns এটা/এগুলো/এরা and the demonstrative adjective এই
- কে ("who")
- নেই ("isn't)
- যে ("that", "which")
- থেকে ("from")
- এখানে ("here")
- একটু ("little")
- ছেলে ("boy")
- মেয়ে ("girl")
- দেশ ("country")
Words with "æ" edit
- এক ("one", the number; all numbers that begin with এক also take this sound)
- একবার ("once")
- একা ("alone")
- এত ("so much")
- একজন ("one", for animate objects)
- এখন ("now")
- কেন ("why")
- দেখা ("to see", verbal noun)
- ফেলা ("to throw", verbal noun)