EXPLORING BHAIRAB DIALECT VIS-À-VIS STANDARD BANGLA Mohammad Ehsanul Islam Khan Managing Editor, Journal of ELT and Education Executive Editor, Hello-Teen President, Hello-Teen Society Email: asad.helloteen@gmail.com [Citation: Khan, M. E. I. (2019). EXPLORING BHAIRAB DIALECT VIS-À-VIS STANDARD BANGLA. Journal of ELT and Education, 2(1): 14-18.] Abstract The present comprehensive study investigates the differences and uniqueness of the dialect of Bhairab, a prominent commercial area of Bangladesh located in Kishoregonj district in comparison with the Standard Bangla. Language usually varies after every particular distance throughout the world. Most often these variations and differentiations are found in the day-to-day use of supra-segmental elements of oral language. This study compares some of the traditional, social and public words and sentences of Bhairab dialect with the spelling and pronunciation of standard Bangla. At the same time, it aims at the changes found in tone and intonation in the dialect of Bhairab. Accordingly, 50 respondents participated in the survey and five professionals were interviewed to collect data. The natural instinct of humans is always inclined to sustain the traditional culture, linguistic identity and nationalism. Regarding that, dialectal sustainability also significantly matters to uphold one’s own culture and language. The central objective is to bring out the traditionalism and pastoral of a same language in any dialect other than its standard version. The paper also tends to show the profusion of some specific sounds that are used by the inhabitants of Bhairab. Keywords: Dialect, new vocabularies, /h/, /ðʊ̈ /, /ɒ/ 1. Introduction Dialects are the assets of a language. According to Wardhaugh (2006), dialect can be used to describe differences in speeches which are associated with geographical areas and social groups of a speaker. Language variation matters in all regards. Language is the means of expressing and receiving messages for interactions verbally or non-verbally. Verbal language again varies from place to place. Even a particular language does not remain same in all the places of its territory. It changes in rhythm, tone and intonation. It also changes in regards of expressions and mood. The differences of languages are mixed up in Bhairab. So, some words seem to be ambiguous to the natives of other districts. Bengali is a cocktail of many languages. Due to centuries of powerful influences from Europeans, Mughals, Arabs, Persians, and East Asians, Bengali has absorbed countless words from foreign languages, often totally integrating these borrowings into the core vocabulary. After centuries of invasions from Persia and the Middle East, numerous Turkish, Arabic, and Persian words were absorbed and fully integrated into the lexicon. Later, European colonialism brought words from Portuguese, French, Dutch, and most significantly English. Bhairab is one of the most influential areas of commerce and trade in Bangladesh. It is located in Kishoregonj district of Dhaka division. Bhairab is the most famous area of fish business. The people of Bhairab have their own language and style in speaking Bangla. Most of the inhabitants living in Bhairab do not speak the standard Bangla language. They use dialect for their Journal of ELT and Education (JEE), 2(1), March-2019, Page: 14-18 ISSN (Print): 2618-1290, ISSN (Online): 2663-1482, ISSN-L: 2618-1290 Article History: Received: 16.02.2019 Revised: 26.02.2019 Accepted: 19.03.2019 Published: 28.03.2019