Sylhetis
Siloṭi | |
|---|---|
Map of Sylheti speaking areas of South Asia | |
| Total population | |
| c. 10.3 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Bangladesh (Sylhet Division) India (Barak Valley, Hojai, North Tripura, Unakoti, Shillong) Middle East (GCC countries) Western world (United Kingdom, United States, Canada) | |
| Languages | |
| Sylheti (L1) Standard Bengali (L2) | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly: Islam Minority: | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
The Sylheti (English: /sɪˈlɛti/) or Sylhetis are an Indo-Aryan ethnocultural group, that are associated with the Sylhet region (Sylhet Division of Bangladesh and the Karimganj district of south Assam, India). There are strong diasporic communities in Barak Valley of Assam, India, North Tripura, Shillong, Meghalaya, and Hojai, Central Assam. Outside South Asia, there are significant numbers in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.
They speak Sylheti, an eastern Indo-Aryan language that is considered "a distinct language by many and a dialect of Bengali by some others". Sylheti identity is associated primarily with its regional culture and language, alongside a broader cultural and ethnic Bengali identity.