Western Bengali dialects
Western Bengali or Mānbhūmī Bengali is a vernacular cluster of Bengali dialects and their varieties spoken in the districts of Purulia, West Bardhaman, western Bankura, western Birbhum, Singhbhum and other adjacent areas of West Bengal and Jharkhand, previously Manbhum and Dhalbhum regions in Bengal Presidency. It is one of the Bengali dialects, having some influences of neighbouring dialects of Hindi and Odia in it.
Manbhumi Bengali has a rich tradition of folk songs sung in various occasions. Tusu songs are sung by village girls during a month-long observance of Tusu festival in villages of Purulia and some parts of Barddhaman, Bankura and Birbhum districts of West Bengal and parts of East Singhbhum, Saraikela Kharsawan, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Ranchi districts of Jharkhand. Bhadu songs, Karam songs, Baul songs and Jhumar songs are also composed in Manbhumi Bengali. Manbhumi Bengali songs are used by Chhau performers of Purulia School to depict various mythological events. Chhau is one of the distinguished dance forms of this geographical region which has been accorded the status of Intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2009.
Phonology
Vowels
Consonants
Regional variation
This Bengali dialect is spoken in the Manbhum and Dhalbhum area and has its extended regional variants or subdialects throughout southern border area of Medinipur division of West Bengal, south eastern border of Kolhan division of Jharkhand.There are two tribal languages, Kharia Thar and Mal Paharia, mainly spoken in Manbhum region of Bengal and Jharkhand by some small tribes, are closely related to Western Bengali dialects, but are typically classified as separate languages.