THE "MONKEYS" IN OUR LIVES

I came across this funny post by my Odia friend

Here he uses a typical Odia phrase with the word "Markat"

In Bangla "Morkot/Markat" is so rarely used, mostly by mothers screaming at her kids

"মর্কট" (Morkot) is technically the formal/literary (Sadhubhasha) word for a monkey or ape (derived from Sanskrit Markata). In modern Everyday Spoken Bengali (Choltibhasha), nobody uses morkot when referring to an actual animal at the zoo—they will always use banor (বানর).

Instead, morkot has almost exclusively survived as a hyper-specific, highly expressive insult reserved for mothers when their patience has completely run out. Because it's an archaic word, using it adds a layer of dramatic theatricality to a scolding. It's the Bengali equivalent of an exasperated parent suddenly switching to Shakespearean English just to show how thoroughly done they are with your antics.

The harsh, guttural "র্ক" (rk) sound in the middle gives it a sharp, crisp delivery that carries serious emotional weight when yelled across a room.

Unlike calling someone a simple ছাগল (Chagol)(goat) or গাধা (gaadha) (donkey) or the more aggressive "পাঁঠা" (Patha/Pantha) (uncastrated male goat), calling a child a "মর্কট" morkot implies a very specific type of chaotic behavior—restlessness, jumping around, breaking things, and sheer mischievous insolence.

The Evolution of the "Morkot" Spectrum

Usually, the word doesn't travel alone. It exists within a very familiar hierarchy of parental scolding:

মর্কট (Morkot): The baseline insult for a hyperactive, mischievous kid who won't sit still.

হনুমান (Honuman): Used when the mischief involves physical destruction, breaking household items, or climbing where you shouldn't be.

বানরামি/বানদ্রামি/বানদ্রামো (Banrami/bandrami/bandramo): The actual action/behavior being performed ("Stop this banrami right now!").

অসভ্য মর্কট (Oshobhyo Morkot): The ultimate evolution—when you've crossed the line from hyperactive to outright uncivilized.

LINGUISTIC INTERPLAY

Because Bengali, Odia, and Assamese all evolved from the eastern branch of Indo-Aryan (Magadhan Apabhramsha), they share a massive pool of vocabulary.

However, while modern standard spoken Bengali (Choltibhasha) shifted heavily toward simplified Tadbhava forms or Persian/English borrowings, Odia and Assamese preserved many older, classical, or formal (Sadhu) Sanskrit-derived terms as their standard, daily vocabulary.

In Bangla, calling your husband 'গিরি' (Giri) sounds like you are reading a 19th-century Jatra script. 'গিৰি' (Giri) is an entirely ordinary, neutral word for "husband" or "head of the house" used daily in Assamese household conversation.

In Bangla, 'ঘৈণী' (Ghoini) is an obsolete, archaic word for "wife" (found in old texts or rural folklore). Modern Bangla uses Bou or Shree/Stri. 'ঘৈণী' (Ghoini) or 'ঘৈণীীয়েক' (Ghoiniyek) remains an active, standard word for "wife" in colloquial Assamese.

In modern Bangla, people say Khabar (খাবার), Ahar (আহার) sounds like high-literary Sadhubhasha. 'ଆହାର' (Ahara) is commonly used in daily contexts for food/meals though Khaba is also used.

Bengali exclusively uses Gaacch (গাছ) in everyday speech. Briksho (বৃক্ষ) or Tarubhor are restricted to formal essays and poetry. While Gacha exists, 'ବୃକ୍ଷ' (Briksha) is widely understood and used in standard speech and signage without sounding overly dramatic or archaic in Odia

Bengali uses Saisob (শৈশব) or Chotobela (ছোটবেলা). Words like 'বাল্যকাল' (Balyakal) sound like textbook written Bengali. 'ବାଲ୍ୟକାଳ' (Balyakala) in Odia and 'বাল্যকাল' (Balyakal) in Assamese are regularly spoken in casual conversations when reminiscing about childhood.

"ডাঙৰ" (Dangor) in Assamese means big, large, great, or senior/adult. Bangla also has the cognate word "ডাঙর" (Danor), which carries the same meaning (e.g., ডাঙর- his/her growing up, ডাঙর চোখের মেয়ে), but in modern spoken Bangla, boro (বড়) is preferred.

Classical suffix names, both male and female, that were ubiquitous in late-19th-century Bengal remain active in Assamese naming traditions.

Girindra (গিরীন্দ্র) / Phanindra (ফণীন্দ্র): Heavy classical compound names ending in -indra. In modern Bangla, people prefer Giri or Phani, but the full formal classical compound remains very active in Assamese.

Bhanita (ভণিতা): In literary Bengali, bhanita is the formal word for a poet's signature/stamp at the end of a classical poem (e.g., Rabi Thakur bheney...). In Assamese, it is an ordinary, popular female name.

The name Khirod / Kshirod (খীরোদ/ক্ষীরোদ) in Bangla, খীৰোদ/ক্ষীৰোদ in Assamese and its feminine form Kshiroda (ক্ষীরোদা / খীৰোদা) is a classic, highly Sanskritized name shared across both languages. In modern Kolkata and Bengal, Kshirod / Kshiroda is seen as an archaic 19th-century or early 20th-century name. In Assam, the name Khirod/Khiroda (often written with a 'Kh' representing the local pronunciation of Ksha) remains fairly active and common among middle-aged and older generations.