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Which other languages are spoken in West Bengal besides Bengali?
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West Bengal
A tea plantation in Western Dooars, northern West Bengal, India.
While Bengali is the primary language spoken by the majority of the population in West Bengal, several other languages are also used throughout the state.1
These include:
- Hindi
- Santali
- Urdu, which is primarily spoken by the Muslim community1
- Nepali, spoken largely in the Darjeeling area1
- Kurukh, which is spoken by a small number of people from the Oraon indigenous group1
Additionally, English is used alongside Bengali as a language of administration, and both English and Hindi serve as lingua francas at the national level.1