Dialect Decline in Bangladesh: Causes and Policy Implications

Abstract

One of the most important topics for sociolinguists today is the decline and extinction of dialects and minor languages in the country of Bangladesh. The paper discusses how the death of a dialect is not an unintentional or spontaneous event, but rather is caused by unequal distributions of power in society and the social and economic stratification created by specific language ideologies. Language-related theories of ideologies and Pierre Bourdieu’s idea of linguistic capital serve as the theoretical framework to understand the continuing dominant status of Bangla in Bangladesh due to government policies, education systems, and conditions in the job market. The methodology used in the research is qualitative and comprises language (education) policy analysis, recent research literature review, and secondary analysis of educational and demographic statistics. A mixed-method approach provides an overall position of macro-level institutions as well as day-to-day language use. Several reasons contributing to dialect extinction have been identified. These include prominent use of Bangla in symbolic and material respects, weak institutional support, rural migration to urban areas, ineffective multilingual education, and lack of intergenerational transmission of the dialects/languages. The prioritization of Bangla and English as it relates to schooling and the workplace establishes a language hierarchy in favour of mainstream languages at the expense of dialects.

Mother Language, 2026; 10(1): 5-24