Etymology
The name of Bengal, or Bangla, is of unknown origins. Many theories have been formulated to explain the origin of the word "Bengal" or "Bangla". One theory suggests that the word derives from Dravidian tribes of 1000 B.C present at that time. The word might have been derived from the ancient kingdom of Vanga, or Banga. Although some early Sanskrit literature mentions the name, the region's early history is obscure. The region was part of Mauryan empire under Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. In 2011, the government of West Bengal proposed a new English name for the state, Paschimbanga (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ), which reflects the pronunciation of the state's name in Bengali.
Read more about this topic: West Bengal
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
—Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)