THIS VOLUME OF THE LANGUAGE HANDBOOK SERIES IS INTENDED TO SERVE AS AN OUTLINE OF THE SALIENT FEATURES OF THE BENGALI LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY OVER 80 MILLION PEOPLE IN EAST PAKISTAN AND INDIA. IT WAS WRITTEN WITH SEVERAL READERS IN MIND--(1) A LINGUIST INTERESTED IN BENGALI BUT NOT HIMSELF A SPECIALIST IN THE LANGUAGE, (2) AN INTERMEDIATE OR ADVANCED STUDENT WHO WANTS A CONCISE GENERAL PICTURE OF THE LANGUAGE AND ITS SETTING, AND (3) AN AREA SPECIALIST WHO NEEDS BASIC LINGUISTIC OR SOCIOLINGUISTIC FACTS ABOUT THE AREA. CHAPTERS ON THE LANGUAGE SITUATION, PHONOLOGY, AND ORTHOGRAPHY PRECEDE THE LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX. ALTHOUGH THE LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION IS NOT INTENDED TO BE DEFINITIVE, IT USES TECHNICAL TERMINOLOGY AND ASSUMES THE READER HAS PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF LINGUISTICS. STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BENGALI AND AMERICAN ENGLISH ARE DISCUSSED AS ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SADHU STANDARD AND CHALIT STANDARD BENGALI. THE DACCA DIALECT AND THE CHITTAGONG DIALECT ARE BRIEFLY TREATED AND THEIR GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION IS SHOWN ON A MAP OF BENGALI DIALECTS. FINAL CHAPTERS SURVEY THE HISTORY OF BENGALI LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND LITERARY CRITICISM. THIS HANDBOOK IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR $3.00 FROM THE CENTER FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS, 1717 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, N.W., WASHINGTON, D.C., 20036. (JD)