Request to Distinguish Between Indian Bengali (bn-IN) and Bangladeshi Bengali (bn-BD) in Search Setting

Brave Search Search Feedback
, , , ,
1

Dear Brave Search Team,

I am writing to request a crucial improvement regarding the Bengali (bn) language support in Brave Search. Currently, the search engine treats all Bengali content under a single language code (bn), without distinguishing between Indian Bengali (bn-IN) and Bangladeshi Bengali (bn-BD).

While both regions share the same script, there are significant differences in vocabulary, spelling, and common terminology (e.g., “Jol” vs. “Pani” for water, “Bhorta” vs. “Bharta”). As a result, users from India often receive search results containing Bangladeshi terminology that feels unnatural to them, and vice versa.

Comparison with Google Search: Unlike Brave, Google Search effectively differentiates between these two variants. Google allows users to filter results by region (India vs. Bangladesh) and recognizes the linguistic nuances, ensuring that an Indian user searching in Bengali primarily sees content with Indian Bengali vocabulary, while a Bangladeshi user sees content relevant to Bangladesh. This regional segmentation significantly improves the relevance and usability of search results for Bengali speakers.

Request: I kindly urge the Brave team to:

Introduce separate language or region options for Bengali (India) and Bengali (Bangladesh) in the search settings.

Implement logic similar to Google’s to prioritize region-specific vocabulary and domains (e.g., .in vs. .com.bd) based on the user’s selection.

This change would greatly enhance the search experience for millions of Bengali speakers in both India and Bangladesh.

Thank you for considering this feedback.

Sincerely, Deb Halder

2

Hey Deb,

Thank you for your feedback. We have received it and will look into it.

At the moment, we do not yet support the Bangla/Bengali language on our UI. However, we will consider adding it to future iterations.

3

Hi, Brave Team

Thank you for getting back to me and for considering my feedback.

I’m glad to hear that the team will look into it. Bengali is spoken by over 230 million people worldwide, making it one of the most widely spoken languages globally. Having Brave’s UI available in Bengali would be a huge benefit for users in West Bengal, Bangladesh, and the Bengali-speaking diaspora.

I hope the team will prioritize it in future updates. Looking forward to seeing Bengali support in Brave!

Best regards,

Deb Halder

4

Ref. - According to Brave Search (Answer with AI)

The 2011 Census identified 121 major languages and 270 mother tongues, while the People’s Linguistic Survey of India estimates up to 780 languages.

The Indian Constitution officially recognizes 22 scheduled languages. These are:

  • Assamese

  • Bengali

  • Bodo

  • Dogri

  • Gujarati

  • Hindi

  • Kannada

  • Kashmiri

  • Konkani

  • Maithili

  • Malayalam

  • Manipuri (Meitei)

  • Marathi

  • Nepali

  • Odia

  • Punjabi

  • Sanskrit

  • Santali

  • Sindhi

  • Tamil

  • Telugu

  • Urdu

Hindi and English serve as the two official languages for the central government, while individual states may adopt any of the 22 scheduled languages (or others) as their own official language.

The 6 Classical Languages are:

  1. Tamil (Declared in 2004)

  2. Sanskrit (Declared in 2005)

  3. Kannada (Declared in 2008)

  4. Telugu (Declared in 2008)

  5. Malayalam (Declared in 2013)

  6. Odia (Declared in 2014)

Note: In October 2024, the government added five more languages (Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit) to this list, bringing the total to 11. However, the traditional “list of 6” remains a common reference point.

(AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts.)