Learning Needs for Standard Bangla among Tertiary-Level Native Speakers: A Qualitative Study of Dialect-to-Standard Transition in Bangladesh

Native speakers may command everyday Bangla while still needing explicit support to use its standard academic and professional register. This qualitative study examined the perceived learning needs for Standard Bangla among tertiary-level students whose home speech included regional varieties. Twenty students, aged 20 - 25, from different departments of the University of Dhaka were selected through convenience sampling and interviewed with a semi-structured questionnaire. The interview material was analyzed thematically. Eight themes were identified: becoming accustomed to Standard Bangla, limiting dialect use in formal contexts, learning the standard variety through education, using it in formal situations, accessing Bangla-language resources, developing writing skills, understanding formal instructions, and shaping confidence and social identity. Participants associated Standard Bangla with academic participation, professional credibility, access to disciplinary resources, and clearer public communication. At the same time, they reported difficulty with formal vocabulary, grammar, writing conventions, and rapid comprehension of instructions. Students from regional backgrounds described adaptation through repeated exposure and deliberate practice, but some also experienced pressure to suppress their dialects or felt that standard speech could be inauthentic in intimate settings. The findings suggest that universities should treat Standard Bangla development as academic literacy and register education rather than as correction of deficient native speech. An additive, dialect-inclusive approach can expand students’ formal repertoires while respecting regional linguistic identities.