This document discusses Bengali speech communities and varieties of the Bengali language. It defines a speech community as the type of group that sociolinguists study. It notes that while English has standardized and regional varieties spoken across the world, Bengali also has formal standardized varieties as well as colloquial varieties that differ by region. The regional varieties are considered dialects of the standardized Bengali, while colloquial varieties remain non-localized accents. Varieties differ in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation depending on the speaker's background and context. The standardized Bengali has no regional affiliation, while colloquial varieties and dialects reflect regional influences.

1. Bengali Speech Community
To do research in sociolinguistics, we require a particular definition of a group. The speech
community is the type of group that sociolinguists have typically aimed to establish. Some
linguists have proposed the possibility of an "ideal" speech community for purely theoretical
reasons. Chomsky’s "totally identical speech-community" is exactly what he promotes. It’s a
theoretical concept with a specific application. Whatever our speech communities are, they
take place in the actual world. While the English language is used in many locations across the
world, we must acknowledge that it is also spoken in a variety of ways, in speech groups that
are nearly totally separated from one another. Speakers utilise linguistic features to create group
identity with and distinction from other speakers, but they also use social, cultural, political,
and ethnic traits, to mention a few.
Every language has formal varieties so like standard English, standard Bengali has the formal
varieties too, which is the standard form and it also has colloquial varieties. There are different
between colloquial varieties and regional varieties. The regional differences are usually the
dialects of standard Bangla. The regional differences are dialects of standard Bangla and
colloquial difference remains just as a spoken variety, for example, like standard Bengali, most
language behaved in a same way. There are some particular languages in the world which have
their very specific feature and history. But most languages behaved in a same way. The variety
of Sylhet, Comilla, Chittagong etc all these are different variety of standard Bangla. These
varieties called dialect or the regional variety. Because they are particular to a region like
Sylhet, Comilla, Chittagong etc region, are all specific region go to those regions that
particularly fixed to a region dialect. It is used by all of us. That means all people who moved
one city from another city or capital city for education, employment and many more purpose
in that city like Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, in Dhaka we have developed one
colloquial variety which is actually mixed of everything but it is not the standard Bangla. So,
it is called colloquial variety but not a dialect. Some people call it Urban or informal Bengali.
It is a variety that is actually a mixed variety and we only use this for our spoken purpose.
There are three areas for differences among language verities- vocabulary, grammar and
pronunciations. When a Bengali people speak their language, they speak in RP (received
pronunciation) or in their regional touch in their speak. In Dhaka, rickshaw pullers speak in a
certain Bangla that called colloquial variety. It is not a dialect. It is a nonlocalized accent of
Bangla language. It depends on the speaker’s background. If the speaker is highly educated,
is contextualized around Dhaka then their daily conversation will follow RP. But if go further
from Dhaka, where the accent, the dialect is much different from the main Dhaka city, such
as: Saver, Gazipur, Narayanganj etc. Unless and until it is formal situation the person will
speak in their own regional dialect and accent. But will not use the RP. If the person works
under a highly renowned company, office, place or in a government job then in all formal
context, he will surlily use RP. So, in all formal context in Bangladesh, People use RP. In the
other hand, standard Bangla does not belong to any region or place. It is pure, standard and
free from any regional touch.