Hindustani, also known as Hindi-Urdu, like all Indo-Aryan languages, has a core base of Sanskrit-derived vocabulary, which it gained through Prakrit.[1] As such the standardized registers of the Hindustani language (Hindi-Urdu) share a common vocabulary, especially on the colloquial level.[2] However, in formal contexts, Modern Standard Hindi tends to draw on Sanskrit, while Standard Urdu turns to Persian and sometimes Arabic.[3] This difference lies in the history of Hindustani, in which the lingua franca started to gain more Persian words in urban areas (such as Delhi, Lucknow and Hyderabad), under the Delhi Sultanate; this dialect came to be termed Urdu.[4][5]

The original Hindi dialects continued to develop alongside Urdu and according to Professor Afroz Taj, "the distinction between Hindi and Urdu was chiefly a question of style. A poet could draw upon Urdu's lexical richness to create an aura of elegant sophistication, or could use the simple rustic vocabulary of dialect Hindi to evoke the folk life of the village. Somewhere in the middle lay the day to day language spoken by the great majority of people. This day to day language was often referred to by the all-encompassing term Hindustani."[5] In Colonial India, Hindi-Urdu acquired vocabulary introduced by Christian missionaries from the Germanic and Romanic languages, e.g. pādrī (Devanagari: पादरी, Nastaleeq: پادری) from padre, meaning pastor.[6]

When describing the state of Hindi-Urdu under the British Raj, Professor Śekhara Bandyopādhyāẏa stated that "Truly speaking, Hindi and Urdu, spoken by a great majority of people in north India, were the same language written in two scripts; Hindi was written in Devanagari script and therefore had a greater sprinkling of Sanskrit words, while Urdu was written in Persian script and thus had more Persian and Arabic words in it. At the more colloquial level, however, the two languages were mutually intelligible."[7] After the partition of India, political forces within India tried to further Sanskritize Hindi,[8] while political forces in Pakistan campaigned to remove Prakit/Sanskrit derived words from Urdu and supplant them with Persian and Arabic words.[9] Despite these government efforts, the film industry, Bollywood continues to release its films in the original Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) language, easily understood and enjoyed by speakers of both registers;[10] in addition, many of the same television channels are viewed across the border.[11]

Linguistic classification

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Hindi (हिन्दी Hindi) is one of the Indo-Aryan languages of the Indo-European language family. The core of Hindi vocabulary is thus etymologically Indo-European. However, centuries of borrowing has led to the adoption of a wide range of words with foreign origins.

Examples of borrowed words

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Due to centuries of contact with Europeans, Turkic peoples, Arabs, Persians, and East Asians, Hindi-Urdu has absorbed countless words from foreign languages, often totally integrating these borrowings into the core vocabulary. The most common borrowings from foreign languages come from three different kinds of contact. Close contact with neighboring peoples facilitated the borrowing of words from other Indian languages, Chinese, Burmese, and several indigenous Austroasiatic languages of North India. After centuries of invasions from Persia and the Middle East, particularly under the Mughal Empire, numerous Turkish, Arabic, and Persian words were absorbed and fully integrated into the lexicon. Later, European colonialism brought words from Portuguese, French, Dutch, and most significantly English. Some very common borrowings are shown below.

Borrowings from neighboring languages

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Austroasiatic languages (देशज دیشج Deshaj)

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Word Meaning
आलू آلو ālū potato
खोज کھوج khoj discovery
चावल چاول cāwal rice grains
चूल्हा چولہا cūlhā oven, stove
झोल جھول jhol gravy
टांग ٹانگ ṭaṅg leg
ढोल ڈھول ḍhol dhol, drum
पेट پیٹ peṭ belly

Chinese (चीनी چینی Chīnī)

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Word Meaning Original form
चाय چائے cāy tea chá
चीनी چینی cīnī sugar/Chinese qín
लीची لیچی līcī lychee 茘枝 lìzhī

Borrowings from the Persianate era

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Arabic (अरबी عربی Arabī)

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Word Meaning Original form
अक़्ल عقل aqal wisdom عقل ‘aql
इलाक़ा علاقہ ilāqā area علاقة `alāqa "relationship, connection"
वज़न وزن vazan weight وزن wazn "scale"
क़बर قبر qabr grave قبر qubr
ख़बर خبر k͟habar news خبر khabar
ख़ाली خالی k͟hālī empty خالي khālī
ख़्याल خیال k͟hayāl consideration خيال khayal " imagination"
ग़रीब غریب ġarīb poor غريب gharīb "strange"
जवाब جواب javāb answer جواب jawāb
सवाल سوال sovāl question سؤال so'āl
जमा جمع jamā collect جمع jam‘
तारीख़ تاریخ tārīk͟h date تاريخ tārīkh "history, date"
दुनिया دنیا duniyā world دنيا dunya
नक़ल نقل naqal fake نقل naql
फ़क़ीर فقیر faqīr poor person فقير faqīr
बदल بدل badal exchange بدل badl
बाक़ी باقی bāqī remaining بقي baqīy
साहब صاحب sāhab sir صاحب ṣāḥib "friend"
हिसाब حساب hisāb calculation حساب ḥisāb
मालिक مالک mālik owner مالك mālik "owner, proprietor, holder"
लज़ीज़ لذیذ lazeez delicious لذيذ latheeth "tasty"
किताब کتاب "kitāb" book كتاب

kitab "book"

एहतियात احتیاط "ehtiyāt" precaution احتياط

aihtiat "precaution, reserve"

शख़्स شخص "shakhs" person شخص shakhs "person"
शहीद شہید "shaheed" martyr شهيد shahid "martyr"
हद حد "had" limit حد hada "limit"
सेहत صحت "sehat" health صحة siha "health"

Persian (फ़ारसी فارسی)

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Caption text
Word Meaning Original Form
ख़ुश خوش khush happy خوشحال khushal
दर्द درد dard pain درد dərd
बदन بدن badan body بدن bədən
शायद شاید shayad maybe شاید shayad
हमेशा ہمیشہ hamesha always همیشه həmesha
साल سال saal year سال sāl
गरम گرم garam warm گرم gərm
आसमान آسمان aasman sky آسمان aasman
ज़मीं زمین zameen land زمین zəmeen "the earth"
रोज़ा روزہ roza fasting روزه roza "a fast"

Turkish (तुर्की ترکی Turkī)

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Word Meaning Original form
उर्दू اردو Urdu Urdu ordu "army"
क़ैंची قینچی qãincī scissors kaïcï in Chagatai/Proto-Mongolic
क़ोरमा قورمہ qormā korma kavurma in Turkish
बावर्ची باورچی bāwarchī cook, chef Ashchi (soupmaker) in modern Turkish
बेगम بیگم begam lady begüm
लाश لاش lāś corpse

(Turkish pron. = lesh)

क़ुली قلی qulī laborer, porter porter, servant
घूर گھور ghūr a stare, staring göz (eye) in Turkish

Borrowings from the Colonial Era

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Portuguese (पुर्तगाली پرتگالی Purtugālī)

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Portuguese borrowings mostly describe household items, fruits, and religious concepts dealing with Catholicism:

Household

Word Meaning Original form
अलमारी الماری almāri closet, cupboard armário
इस्तरी استریistrī to iron estirar (means to lengthen a cable)
इस्पात ایسپات ispāt steel espada "sword"
गमला گملا gamlā basket gamela "wooden trough"
चाबी چابی cābī key chave
जंगला جنگلا jaṅglā window-railing janela
तम्बाकू تمباکو tambākū tobacco tobacco
तौलिया تولیہ tauliyā towel toalha
फ़ीता فیتا fītā lace, ribbon fita
बराम्दा برآمدہ baramdā verandah varanda
बाल्टी بالٹی bāltī pail balde
साबुन صابن sābun soap sabão

Food

Word Meaning Original form
अनानास انناس anānās pineapple ananás
काजू کاجو kāju cashew caju
गोभी گوبھیgobhī cabbage, cauliflower couve
पाउ रोटी پاو روٹی pāu roṭī sliced bread pão "bread" (generic name for bread)
पपीता پپیتا papītā papaya papaia
साबूदाना سابودانا sābūdānā sago sagu
सलाद سلاد salād salad salada

Religion

Word Meaning Original form
क्रूस کروس krūs cross cruz
गिरजा گرجا girjā church igreja
पादरी پادری padrī Christian priest/minister padre

Other

Word Meaning Original form
अंग्रेज़ انگریز aṅgrez English inglês

French (फ़्रान्सीसी فرانسیسی Fransisi)

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Only a handful of French borrowings are still used in Hindi today.

Word Meaning Original form
कारतूस کارتوس kārtūs cartridge cartouche
रेस्तराँ ریستوراں restarā̃ restaurant restaurant

English (अंग्रेज़ी انگریزی Aṅgrezī)

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Most borrowed words of European origin in Hindi-Urdu were imported through English and involve civic and household concepts:

Civic Life

Word Original form
अफ़सर افسر afsar officer
जेल جیل jel jail
डॉक्टर ڈاکٹر ḍôktar doctor
पुलिस پولیس pulis police
बैंक بینک baiṅk bank
वोट ووٹ voṭ vote
स्कूल اسکول skūl/iskūl school

Household

Word Original form
कप کپ kap cup
गिलास گلاس gilās glass
टेबल ٹیبل ṭebal table
बॉक्स بکس bôks box
लालटेन لالٹین lālṭen lantern
कनस्तर کنستر kanastar canister

References

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  1. ^ Sebeok, Thomas Albert (1971). Current Trends in Linguistics. Walter de Gruyter. p. 688. Retrieved 21 November 2014. This Proto-Prakrit differs from Sanskrit partly in the phonology and the vocabulary which are common to all modern Indo-Aryan vernaculars.
  2. ^ Bhatia, Tej K.; Koul, Ashok (2000). Colloquial Urdu. Psychology Press. p. 11. ISBN 9780415135405. Retrieved 21 November 2014. The languages share a virtually identical grammar and also possess a very large body of common vocabulary which consists mainly of words used in everyday, normal conversation.
  3. ^ Bhatia, Tej K.; Koul, Ashok (2000). Colloquial Urdu. Psychology Press. p. 12. ISBN 9780415135405. Retrieved 21 November 2014. In additional, although Urdu and Hindi share a large number of colloquial words, formal and literary Hindi and Urdu can differ markedly in terms of vocabulary. For higher registers, Urdu still continues to draw on Perso-Arabic resources, but Hindi turns to Sanskrit.
  4. ^ Simpson, Andrew (30 August 2007). Language and National Identity in Asia. Oxford University Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN 9780191533082. Retrieved 21 November 2014. Considered from a historical point of view, the Hindustani-Hindi-Urdu complex developed out of a common broadly-spoken lingua franca that came to be used through much of north and central India from the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries during the dynasties of Muslim rulers that pre-dated the Mughal rule. During this time, Persian was in force as the official language of administration and writing but was supplemented by a mixture of the speech of the Delhi area ('Khari Boli', which had Sanskrit as its ultimate ancestor) together with many Persian loanwords as very general means of oral communication among different parts of the Muslim-controlled territories. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this form of speech was patronized by the rulers of various southern kingdoms and resulted in the growth of an early literature in a language known as Dakhini or southern Hindi-Urdu.
  5. ^ a b Taj, Afroz (1997). "About Hindi-Urdu". The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 21 November 2014. Then, about seven centuries ago, the dialects of Hindi spoken in the region of Delhi began to undergo a linguistic change. In the villages, these dialects continued to be spoken much as they had been for centuries. But around Delhi and other urban areas, under the influence of the Persian-speaking Sultans and their military administration, a new dialect began to emerge which would be called Urdu. While Urdu retained the fundamental grammar and basic vocabulary of its Hindi parent dialects, it adopted the Persian writing system, "Nastaliq" and many additional Persian vocabulary words. Indeed, the great poet Amir Khusro (1253-1325) contributed to the early development of Urdu by writing poems with alternating lines of Persian and Hindi dialect written in Persian script. What began humbly as a hodge-podge language spoken by the Indian recruits in the camps of the Sultan's army, by the Eighteenth Century had developed into a sophisticated, poetic language. It is important to note that over the centuries, Urdu continued to develop side by side with the original Hindi dialects, and many poets have written comfortably in both. Thus the distinction between Hindi and Urdu was chiefly a question of style. A poet could draw upon Urdu's lexical richness to create an aura of elegant sophistication, or could use the simple rustic vocabulary of dialect Hindi to evoke the folk life of the village. Somewhere in the middle lay the day to day language spoken by the great majority of people. This day to day language was often referred to by the all-encompassing term "Hindustani."
  6. ^ Shackle, C. (1 January 1990). Hindi and Urdu Since 1800. Heritage Publishers. p. 6. ISBN 9788170261629. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  7. ^ Bandyopādhyāẏa, Śekhara (1 January 2004). From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India. Orient Blackswan. p. 243. ISBN 9788125025962. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  8. ^ George, Rosemary Marangoly (21 November 2013). Indian English and the Fiction of National Literature. Cambridge University Press. p. 213. ISBN 9781107729551. Retrieved 21 November 2014. =Elsewhere Gandhi advocated for both Hindi and Hindustani (an amalgam of Hindi and Persianized Urdu that was in use in the north and could be written in either Nagri or Urdu/Persian script). In 1945, Gandhi resigned from the Hindi Sahitya when it advocated that Hindi was to be written exclusively in the Devanagri script. Over time, as both Hindi and Urdu became increasingly linked with Hindu and Muslim identity respectively, Hindustani had few advocates in India with voices powerful enough to drown out the opposition to it, especially after the trauma of partition. Hindi was deliberately Sanskritized to underline its Hindu roots and to create a purer etymology for the language.
  9. ^ Everaert, Christine (2010). Tracing the Boundaries Between Hindi and Urdu. Brill. p. 268. ISBN 9789004177314. Retrieved 21 November 2014. According to some, Pakistani Urdu has been following the path of religious fanatics in the last twenty-five to thirty years, removing Hindi words from Urdu and replacing them by Persian and Arabic words. The Arab states of the Persian Gulf, where Pakistanis go in huge numbers to work during several years of their lives and who sponsor the conservative madaris, are taking the blame for this evolution. The foreign labourers returning to Pakistan after several years in Saudi Arabic and neighbouring countries are said to have been indoctrinated by their Arab hosts.
  10. ^ Simpson, Andrew (30 August 2007). Language and National Identity in Asia. Oxford University Press. p. 62. ISBN 9780191533082. Retrieved 21 November 2014. In their formal spoken and written forms, Hindi and Urdu share a common grammar and much basic vocabulary. When Hindi and Urdu are spoken informally by most of the population, the differences present and clearly discernible in formal language tend to disappear to a very significant extent, and the two varieties become both mutually intelligible and often difficult to tell apart. This frequently used, colloquial form of Hindi and Urdu used in everyday conversation by the majority of speakers has in the past regularly been referred to with the term 'Hindustani'. It is also the form of language standardly used in Bollywood films, which are widely enjoyed by speakers of both Hindi and Urdu.
  11. ^ Patel, Aakar. "Kids have it right: boundaries of Urdu and Hindi are blurred". Firstpost. Network 18. Retrieved 21 November 2014. Cartoon Network, Pogo and the rest were available in English also, of course. However, according to a cable operator from Allama Iqbal Town also quoted in the story, Pakistani children preferred their cartoons in Hindi. This is true of India also, where children including those studying in English schools, watch their cartoons only in Hindi.

See also

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