SDLC 105 Journal #6

Language history is very helpful in understanding a language's culture as well as its transformation over time. The reason for this is that all languages had influences from other languages. Those influences helped shape the language into becoming the modern language it is today. If one understands the changed concepts and where the language borrowed grammar constructions, vocabulary, or whatnot from it can make it easier to learn it and comprehend why the language is the way it is.

Bengali, for example, is an Indo-European language that derived from Sanskrit. It is one of the languages that is most close to Sanskrit when it comes to pronunciations and vocabulary. Some of the words are exactly the same in Bangla as it is in Sanskrit. Examples of this are the following words: manush (man), prabhu (god/lord), shaukal (morning). Another important aspect to note of Bangla is its influences from religions. Because Sanskrit is the sacred language for Hinduism, Bangla was first comprised of Hindu speakers and thus their vocabulary was more "Hindu". However, most Bengalis in the modern day are Muslim because of Arab and Persian interaction in the 8th century. Due to the Islamic influence, new vocabulary became introduced to the language for religious and non religious terms. There are many synonyms in Bangla for the "God"; prabhu, rama (Hindu) and Allah, raba, maula (Islamic). 

Learning a language's background adds a cultural dimension to it and transforms the language into something more active . Not to mention how interesting it is!

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