Sylheti dialect

Sylheti is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by an estimated 11 million people, primarily in Sylhet Division of Bangladesh, Barak Valley of Assam, and northern parts of Tripura in India. In addition, there are substantial numbers of Sylheti speakers in the Indian states of Meghalaya, Manipur, and Nagaland, as well as among diaspora communities across the globe—from Britain and North America to various parts of the Middle East. It is variously perceived as either a dialect of Bengali or a language in its own right. While most linguists consider it an independent language, for many native speakers Sylheti forms the diglossic vernacular, with standard Bengali forming the codified lect. Some incorrectly consider it as a "corrupt" form of Bengali, and there is a reported language shift from Sylheti to Standard Bengali in Bangladesh, India and the diaspora; though Sylheti has more vitality than Standard Bengali among the diaspora in the United Kingdom.