51. This habit of writing 'prothomei' instead of 'prothome' is a bad one, quite unidiomatic. People mistakenly write, 'It really is an urgent matter.' Not 'aslei', it should be 'asle'. These are subtle matters of idiom—they strike the ear like off-notes in a song.
Khuboi? Khubo? Which one? . . . Both are correct.
Sottyii? Or sottyi? Here, depending on the speaker's intention, both can work. (Truly I say, I truly love you. Did he really come?) 'Aslei', 'prothomei'—these are different cases. These are adverbs, while 'khubo' etc. are particles. "Beware of adverbs."
52. 'Tachara/ta chara'—quite complex. If we take the whole thing as an adverb, then 'tachara'. "Beware of adverbs." 'Gachara', 'lagamchara'? Or 'ga chara', 'lagam chara'?
From the phrase 'ta chere diye', the compound 'tachara' is formed, according to the rules of compound formation. 'Chara' is a participle, from the root 'char' + 'a' (suffix). Just as 'ghorchara' (adjective), not 'ghor chara'; 'gachara' (adjective), not 'ga chara'; 'lagamchara' (adjective), not 'lagam chara'. Similarly, from the adverb 'tachara', 'chara' cannot be kept hanging separately. Well, if 'tachara' becomes one word, then what's the objection to 'takichu'?
Interesting point: even leaving out 'ta-kichu'/'ta kichu', work can be done.
'Ya-kichu anander, ta-kichu grohoner' can be written as 'Ya-kichu anander, ta-i grohoner.' (Instead of 'ta-kichu'/'ta kichu', we'll write 'ta-i'.)
53. To resolve comma confusion, think about the syntax of the sentence, try it in English. 'Ki na' means 'whether'. I don't know whether it has been done already. There's no reason to put a comma after 'ki na'. However, if 'ta/tar', 'seta/setar' etc. follow 'ki na', then a comma is needed. (Tell me whether you'll go. Tell me whether you'll go, that.)
Identifying adverbs correctly is difficult, I see! (I wonder, wouldn't the comma be necessary if we didn't use it?)
Let me answer that. In the sentence outside the parentheses above, the comma is unnecessary. I can see it's difficult to identify adverbs. Did we need a comma?
There's more confusion. 'Kina', or 'ki na'? It should be 'ki na', if we can get a yes/no answer. Like I want to know whether he will go. (I want to know whether he will go, that.) He doesn't want to go at all, and you're saying he's eagerly waiting to go! (Use 'kina' to express surprise. When you write 'kina', the sentence isn't asking for information, and there's no yes/no answer. Keep this in mind. I constantly see 'ki na' mistakenly written as 'kina'.)
54. Should we abandon 'hum'? Then what instead? Other alternatives... 'Achha'? Bengali has 'hun', semi-agreement, a bit unpleasant; the polite particle is 'hyan'.
'Achha'... won't that work? 'Achha' works too. But that 'hum'—who invented this! You know, from 'hum' comes 'hunkar', just as from 'jhom' comes 'jhankar'? Isn't it 'Indianization' of English 'hmm'?
55. I don't have time to think about you [bhabbar/bhabar]. Which one?
There's much to know [janar]. There's much to know [janbar]. Which one?
The answer is, we'll write concisely. Bhabar—genitive from bhaba, with -r inflection.
Should we abandon bhabbar, janbar, bujhbar, korbar... all of them?
Bujhar? Bujhbar? Bojhar?... Which is standard?
Bhabbar comes from bhabiba. Bhab + iba (suffix). Bhabibamatro—this usage exists in formal language. From bhabiba, the genitive bhabibar > bhabbar. So 'all that' works too. But bhabar, janar, bojhar are standard; similarly 'shonar', not 'shunar'.
56. Now the question is, why shouldn't we write 'etodin' translating from English? Eto din—till now, adverbial phrase, isn't it? The answer is, Bengali is a compound-prone language, phrases have less dominance here. Etodin can be called a lexeme. But... let it be etodin. Etosomoy, etokal, etokhani, etoshoto, etosob—all these too, by the same rule!
57. Well, "I know them"? Or "I know them [with -ke]"? Or "I know them [onder]"? Or "I know them [with -ke]...?"
Let's see.
Taderke (accusative) = tader (according to Bengali idiom). Those who say taderke is wrong are themselves wrong.
So, tander/tanderke... can be used at will?
Only tader is genitive. Only within a complete sentence does tader = taderke, have you noticed this? Then which is more fundamental?
I saw them too there!
I saw them too there [with -ke]!
Tell them.
Tell them [with -ke].
58. "Nazrul is unique in love and talent"... does this sound good? Or should we write "in love & talent"?
Both are correct. If this wouldn't be correct, then we've seen "Binoy, Sunoy & Pranoy come." Why doesn't -ke come after each of these?
59. I see people write things like 'ki kore bujhbo...' Shouldn't it be 'kikore' in the sense of 'kivabe'?
The non-finite verb should be written separately.
Ki kore ekhane elen? (koriya > kore)... like this.
60. If I write 'e-i', then should I write 'e-ta'?
No, I shouldn't. That's ihaa > e-i. What do we say about e-ta?
This house, this family no longer appeals to me.
This is all I have to say. (ihaa > e-i)
...Will you separate 'ki kore' without a hyphen? Note that there's no such thing as 'ei-i'.
61. Kothay-kothay, hat-bajar, majhe-modhye—word pairs are usually (not usually: with visarga at the end is avoidable) joined with hyphens.
Whether we'll use echoing words like ornament (tolonkar) or just say 'etc.'—that's also a question. We've seen both work. He doesn't wear ornaments-tolornaments much. Or, he doesn't wear ornaments etc. much.
Foltol/cha-ta—both ways work, I think.
Bolte bolte (in participial sense) without hyphens. ('Kothay-kothay' isn't being used in participial sense though. This is repetition or reduplication of the same word, and it's a word with y (e) inflection, so 'kothaykothay' won't work together. It can be separate 'kothay kothay', or 'kothay-kothay' can work.)
62. Nana, nanan, horek—spaces should follow these. No comma before 'etc.' In modern Bengali, neoya, deoya are acceptable.
63. If ending with a vowel, use -te. In 'Naivedya'.
If ending with a consonant, use -e. In 'Yogayog'.
Here euphony is a big factor. You can say ghee in yajna, but it's difficult to say ghee in mochar ghonto. Then you have to say ghonto-te. Rather than saying 'Naivedya'-te, it's probably preferable to say in the poetry collection 'Naivedya'.
Both 'boite' and 'boiye' should work. Because the incidence is fifty-fifty.
64. The use of 'ta and ti' as post-positional determiners is optional. Writers will use whichever they wish wherever they wish. However, generally -ti is written instead of -ta to express tenderness or affection. Like:
"The boy on the right is very persistent! But look at the boy on the left, how beautifully and peacefully he's sitting!"
65. Let me remind you of some writing conventions.
• Don't say kothay-kothay! Sometimes if you write 'majhe-majhe', suddenly writing 'kokhono-kokhono' can work.
• Being a compound word, 'hat-bajar' is logical to write.
• Why hesitate about hyphen usage? 'Majhe-modhye' can certainly be written.
• Let 'olonkar-tolonkar' be written, because 'tolonkar' is meaningless, and writing them together is unsightly.
• The words deya and neya are non-standard, write 'deoya and neoya'.
• 'Ebong' used in examples of similar things should be without comma, but 'ebong' used as a sentence connector should have a comma after it. (He came, and you went. He and you came.)
• According to rules for ng/ñ usage, the standard form should be 'ebonger', though that's quite awkward. In my opinion, writing 'ebong-er' is rather better.
• We'll write in 'Naivedya'. 'Boiye' is more euphonious. But 'boite' can be written for poetic necessity.
• The house belongs to Rahim, Karim and Jasim. In my opinion, this sentence should be "The house belongs to Rahim, Karim and Jasim." Adding inflection to each example separately or not—both are standard in different cases. This needs detailed explanation and analysis. In knowledge, patience, and wisdom he is incomparable. (Or, in knowledge, patience and wisdom he is incomparable.)
• Coffee, or tea? (Write it this way, not 'Coffee? Or tea?'.)
• "What if he comes?" "What could be said?" "What would happen if he went?" ('-ba' should be written this way.)
• I want to know whether he knows all this at all. (...whether he knows, that I want to know.)
• Mango, blackberry, lychee etc. (In writing examples with commas, no comma after the last example. And surely 'etc.' is not an example here.) Let's observe another example: He kept saying, "The boy has a house, has a car etc. etc."
• Formal > Colloquial
Ei > E
Sei > Se
Therefore, ei din > edin
sei din > sedin
However, these words being "widely prevalent even in colloquial language," both ways can be used on this logic.
• Which day = konodin
Someday = konoodin
One of the days = kono ekdin
• Once = eksomoy
One time = ek somoy
• Once = ekdin
One day = ek din
• One by one • so many things • in certain contexts, 'this is' and 'this very one'. (This is exactly what I was looking for! This is just right now!) • Writing 'na ki' without a comma is acceptable. However, if the following part is a sentence, one may be used. • 'Naki' without a space is used to express questions or surprise. (Will you go, naki? Will you beat me, naki?) If you write 'na ki' with a space instead of 'na', you can give 'yes'/'no' answers. (Whiskey, na ki vodka? Will you stay here? Na ki will you come with me?)
• Which should I write — 'konta'? Na ki, should I write 'konti'? Both can be written.
* He said this in the course of conversation. Compare: sometimes, occasionally, suddenly sometimes, etc. Hat-bazar or hatbazar. (Since hat and bazar express the same or similar meaning, it's acceptable not to use a hyphen. However, in other cases, a hyphen must be used.) Occasionally or occasionally. Ornament-shornament. While speaking. * Not 'manush matrai' but 'manush matrei'. Note: kebolmatro. nammatro. shudhümatro. eimatro. koramatro. deoamatro. dekhamatro. (verb+(without space) matro) sabematro. angsha matro. abhas matro. ingit matro. ekti matro. doshti matro. jib matrei. etc.
* Instead of writing 'Now it's my turn to take,' I'll write, 'Now it's my turn to take.' Similarly, not 'deoar' but 'debar'; not 'hoar' but 'hobar'; not 'shooar' but 'shobar'. However, both are acceptable in poetry and literature.
* It's better not to use a comma before 'ebong' and also semicolons; though there are exceptions.
* "What would Nirjhor gain by actually coming there?" is wrong. In the sense of 'coming,' it's not 'ashol' but 'elo'; not 'ashle' but 'ele'.
* "What do I have to give you?" In this sentence it should be 'ki-iba'.
* I want to know whether he knows about it at all or not. I want to know whether he knows about it at all or not, that.
Both ways can be written.
* Kon din, but konodin. Konkale, konokale. Konkhane, konojon, kono kichu, konobhabe, konobhabe, konomote, konorokom, konoprokare etc.
* Ekshomoy/ek shomoy; (both work). (Come and take the book sometime. Can two tasks be done at one time, tell me?)
* Ekdin/ek din; (both work). (The work will take one day. Will you sing for me someday?)
66. 'Is it in the book? Na ki, is it in the book?' — As Bengalis, is there anything to be anxious about regarding this question? In the locative case, both te-inflection and e-inflection exist. The e-inflection itself changes from i+e to (i)ye. Therefore, both 'boiye/boite' are valid.
67. 'Ornament-shornament? Na ki ornament-tolongkar?' Tolongkar is an echo word, essentially meaningless. Suniti Kumar Chattopadhyay observed in his great work The Origin and Development of the Bengali Language that echo words are formed when the first vowel of the main word combines with 'to'. The same applies here, and also in 'boitoi'. Generally, with short words like 'boi', the echo word can be written together, but with longer words like 'ornament', it's better to write 'ornament-tolongkar' with a hyphen.
68. 'Ekdin/ek din' — In the song Rabindranath wrote 'ekdin jara merechilo tare giye', 'ekdin' means 'ekda' (once upon a time), and for that reason it's a compound word. But in the sentence 'Let one day pass, then I'll think about it,' 'ek' is a numeral word (here an adjective), meaning 'one day'. Therefore, depending on usage, it will be either 'ekdin' or 'ek din'.
69. 'Boltebolte/bolte bolte' — Repetition of participle verbs should definitely be written separately as 'bolte bolte'.
'He is slow, but precise / He is slow but precise' — However it's written, the sentence is a compound sentence — [He (subject) slow (predicate)] | but (connector) | [(he, unexpressed subject) precise (predicate)]. The comma is unnecessary, but if the writer feels there's a significant pause between the two sentences, they may use a comma.
70. 'Koto kichu/koto kichu' — 'How many things I saw and heard', here 'koto' is an intensifying adjective, an intensifier in English — 'koto kichu' is a compound word, adjective-preceded karmadhara (adjective + noun), separately 'koto kichu' together forms a pronominal phrase — however it's written, it functions as a pronoun in the sentence. Compare 'koto ki' — here we don't think of writing 'kotoki'.
Postscript. 'Koto kichu/koto kichu': There's no semantic difference between the two, so joining them seems unnecessary. But in 'How long after you came!' and 'How many days after you came?' the two sentences have 'kotodin pore' meaning after how long and 'koto din pore' meaning after how many days. In Bengali usage, the first creates an indefiniteness by compounding 'koto' and 'din'. There 'kotodin' can be called a self-complete word, not just a word joined at the writer's whim.
71. The correct rule for 'Coffee? Na ki, tea?' etc.: This is an alternative question sentence. 'Na ki' is its auxiliary particle. A comma after 'na ki' is meaningless and confusing. If the sentence is written as 'Coffee, na ki tea?' that comma after 'coffee' suggests that after the initial coffee proposal, an alternative tea proposal is made. In my opinion, such sentences should be written with commas rather than question marks. However, if the situation is such that after the coffee proposal, after thinking for some time, willingly or helplessly, a tea proposal is being made, then it can be broken into two sentences as 'Coffee? Na ki tea?' but in no case should there be a comma after 'na ki'. Compare: 'Me, na you?' and 'Not me, you.' — these are two sentences with different meanings. Here, writing simply 'Me na you./?' might cause some confusion in understanding meaning.
72. Neya/neoa: In standard Bengali, 'neoa' is accepted. Actually, there's some debate about the roots within the words neoa/deoa. If we identify the root by removing inflection from the first-person ordinary present tense verb (nii/dii), the root becomes ni/di. I think from here ni-(suffix)a > niya (y-sound) > neya (vowel harmony). Again, if the root is identified from the third-person ordinary present tense verb (ney/dey), then the root is ne/de. From there ne-(suffix)a > neoa (semi-vowel v-sound). This seems to be the internal story.
73. 'When does a comma come before ebong?' — If 'ebong' is a connector in a compound sentence, then a comma may be placed as needed. For example, 'He walked here, and upon reaching the meeting gave a fierce speech.' If 'ebong' is a connector between two words, then a comma may or may not be placed. For example, 'The child simultaneously laughed and cried.'
74. Tahole, na ki ta hole? 'Ta hole' means 'if something happens'. He will come, ta hole today's program will be good. (Here, instead of 'ta', you could write 'seta', 'ota', etc.)
'Tahole' means 'then'. In this case, 'seta', 'ota' cannot be written instead of 'ta'. Work is finished, tahole let's go now. (In this sentence, the 'ta' in 'tahole' cannot be omitted.)
(To be continued . . . )