Nathaniel B. Halhead of the East India Company published a Bengali grammar for British officials in 1776 to aid interaction with the local Bengali population.[1] William CareyofSerampore translated the Bible into the Bengali language and published it in 1793 and 1801.[2][3] The high language Bengali translation in use in Bangladesh is derived from Carey's version, while "common language" versions are newer translations.[4] Fr. Christian Mignon, a Belgian Jesuit, finished a revised version of the Bible in Bengali, named Mangalbarta, which has copious footnotes.[5] Missionaries have also translated the Bible into "Musalmani Bangla", as well as the Chittagonian and Sylheti dialects.[citation needed]
William Carey's translation of the Bible into Bengali was peculiar to mainstream Bengali. It came to be known as "Christian Bengali" and intelligibility of this new dialect was somewhat restricted to educated Bengali Christians.[6] The Bengali converts to Christianity during the British rule were mainly Upper Caste Hindus and this translation of the Bible to "Christian Bengali" was prohibited to be revised in fear of Sanskritisation and subsequent Hinduisation of the converts.[7] The dialect has become the language of Christian worship and Bengali Christian literature, but restricted to this small community; and therefore not allowing non-Christian Bengalis to understand.[8] It is said to have been influenced by the works of the earlier Portuguese missionaries in Bengal who also established a Christianised Bengali dialect which lasted for roughly 150 years, before the establishment of Fort William College and rise of Anglo-Christian Bengali.[9] The Portuguese settlers also inspired the use of a Portuguese dialect, known as Bengali Portuguese creole, which is no longer intact.
