Consonants carry an inherent vowel which can be modified by appending vowel signs to the consonant. The script is descended from Brahmi, but there is some dispute about its derivation, since it shares shapes with both Dravidian and Aryan scripts. It ranks 5th in the world for writing system usage. It has historically been used to write Sanskrit within Bengal.
The Bengali or Bangla script is used by over 180 million people in Bangladesh and India to write the Bengali language, and a number of other Indian languages including Sylheti, Meithei, Bishnupriya Manipuri, and, with one or two modifications, Assamese.
