Is Bengali Really the World’s Sweetest Language?

If you Google “sweetest language in the world,” the search giant’s first result is one word: “Bengali.” It adds: “According to a UNESCO survey, Bengali has been voted the sweetest language in the world.” 

However, UNESCO confirmed that it never conducted the survey or made this declaration. Despite this, the notion of Bengali as the sweetest language seems almost a given from time immemorial. From TikTok to Instagram to the streets of New York and Dhaka, Bengalis and non-Bengali speakers swear by the “sweetness” of the Bengali language. 

But what exactly makes a language “sweet”?