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Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to trace the emergence of a mixed diction in Bengal and its development as a vehicle of literature. The mixed diction which was much later to be known as Dobhasi sprang from the mixture of two cultures - Muslim and Hindu. The first two chapters are concerned with political and social changes in Bengal after the arrival of the Muslim invaders. Note has been made of the new literary themes, many of them drawn from the literatures of Arabia and Persia which were introduced in Bengal by poets of Islamic faith from the 14th century onward. It has been pointed out that these themes are quite different from the themes handled by Hindu poets. In Chapter III reference, is made to the first appearance in Bengali literature of a mixed diction which derived part of its vocabulary from Bengali and Sanskrit and part from Arabic and Persian. This mixed diction is first observed in. the compositions of Hindu poets Contemporary Muslim writers used Bengali exclusively except for occasional passages in Brajabuli. Chapter IV outlines the adoption of mixed diction by Muslim poets and contains a brief summary of the works which were written in it. In Chapters V, VI and VII a detailed examination is made of the principal poets of the 18th and 19th centuries and of the language and subject matter of their major works. The remainder of the thesis is devoted to a critical Analysis of Dobhasi diction and the literature which was written in it. In Chapter VIII report is made of the opinions of earlier critics. In: Chapter IX the problem of the origin of the name 'Dobhasi' is considered. Chapter X deals in some detail with the influence of Arabic, Persian and Hindustani on Bengali language and Chapter XI reviews the attitudes of Muslim society towards the language both of speech; and literature. Chapter XII surveys the tradition of literary diction in India and the place of Dobhagi in that, tradition. Chapter XIII is a summary of the history of the growth of Dobhagi from its first beginning in the 14th century to its acceptance as a literary language in the 19th.