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Bengali–Assamese script
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<p>The Bengali–Assamese script, sometimes also known as Eastern Nagri, is an eastern <a href="/facts/Brahmic_script/mwHJWt6d">Brahmic script</a>, primarily used today for the <a href="/facts/Bengali_language/twpKobqA">Bengali</a> and <a href="/facts/Assamese_language/rS7BqK0P">Assamese</a> language spoken in <a href="/facts/Eastern_South_Asia/udhRn2gp">eastern South Asia</a>. It evolved from <a href="/facts/Gaudi_script/rnACeRXn">Gaudi script</a>, also the common ancestor of the <a href="/facts/Odia_script/05jEzRTV">Odia</a> and <a href="/facts/Tirhuta_script/eALHAv9f">Trihuta scripts</a>. It is commonly referred to as the <i>Bengali script</i> by <a href="/facts/Bengalis/zUbaEVXE">Bengalis</a> and the <i>Assamese script</i> by the <a href="/facts/Assamese_people/FRgIwRk7">Assamese</a>, while in academic discourse it is sometimes called <i>Eastern-Nāgarī</i>. Three of the <a href="/facts/22_official_languages_of_the_Indian_Republic/lu7FmR72">22 official languages of the Indian Republic</a>—<a href="/facts/Bengali_language/twpKobqA">Bengali</a>, <a href="/facts/Assamese_language/rS7BqK0P">Assamese</a>, and <a href="/facts/Meitei_language/SwBGUkeR">Meitei</a>—commonly use this script in writing; Bengali is also the <a href="/facts/Official_language/yCH2URym">official</a> and <a href="/facts/National_language/QtJmz1H4">national language</a> of <a href="/facts/Bangladesh/NXk4f78Y">Bangladesh</a>. </p><p>Besides, <a href="/facts/Bengali_language/twpKobqA">Bengali</a> and <a href="/facts/Assamese_language/rS7BqK0P">Assamese</a> languages, it is also used to write <a href="/facts/Bishnupriya_Manipuri/tmEWboNt">Bishnupriya Manipuri</a>, <a href="/facts/Meitei_language/SwBGUkeR">Meitei</a>, <a href="/facts/Chakma_language/m3N8LbBW">Chakma</a>, <a href="/facts/Santali_language/Sn6ow0oI">Santali</a> and numerous other smaller languages spoken in eastern South Asia. Historically, it was used to write various <a href="/facts/Old_Indo-Aryan/hm2N7fYp">Old</a> and <a href="/facts/Middle_Indo-Aryan/KfT8SFPe">Middle Indo-Aryan</a> languages, and, like many other Brahmic scripts, is still used for writing <a href="/facts/Sanskrit/ychfjhlx">Sanskrit</a>. Other languages, such as <a href="/facts/Bodo_language/GXSATmme">Bodo</a>, <a href="/facts/Karbi_language/XPpooMEL">Karbi</a>, <a href="/facts/Maithili_language/Wg2btkFY">Maithili</a> and <a href="/facts/Mishing_language/GN0a63uI">Mising</a> were once written in this script. The two major alphabets in this script – <a href="/facts/Assamese_alphabet/fnGWsu0G">Assamese</a> and <a href="/facts/Bengali_alphabet/kdlW4eGK">Bengali</a> – are virtually identical, except for two characters — Assamese differs from Bengali in one letter for the /r/ sound, and an extra letter for the /w/ or /v/ sound. </p>