Learning Hindi - Hindi Language Facts

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A historical perspective on Hindi is very useful to those who are thinking of learning the Hindi language.

Juggernaut, sherbet - these are just some words which English has borrowed from the Hindi language - yet many people perceive it as a language very distant from English. While most of us know that Hindi is the official language of India, many South Asian countries and regions also use Hindi, including Nepal and Pakistan. It is also the second language in many countries, such as Surinam, Fiji, Mauritius, and Trinidad, as a result of many migrant workers being imported to those countries from India when they were all part of the British Empire, and then staying to form communities.

As an indication of how established some of these communities have become, one only has to explore the recent history of Fiji. Fiji has had many coups in its history, but the second to last coup was as a result of indigenous Fijians revolting against the first Indian-heritage prime minister to be elected. And the most recent military-led coup claims to have as its motivation a desire for a fairer constitution which recognizes as equals the large Hindi-speaking population of Fiji, who ironically have contributed to the wealth of those who revolted against them. On my most recent visit to Fiji, most of the businesses in Suva, the capital, seemed to be owned and operated by the Indian-Fijians, who appear to be much more entrepreneurial than the indigenous Fijians. I will, however, stay away from any more of the political commentary.

Hindi is a very widely spoken language, overtaken only by Mandarin and English. Because Sanskrit is where Hindi came from, and Sanskrit writing is very logical and ordered, Hindi is actually a relatively easy language to learn. Hindi script is unusual to us, as it contains no capital letters. The Hindi alphabet has 11 vowels and 33 consonants. Unusually, Hindi has three greeting levels - formal, familiar, and intimate, which makes it different to many other languages.

English, Portuguese, Turkish and Farsi have all influenced and enriched Hindi.

Pakistan's official language, Urdu, is very similar to Hindi. While many of the words have been softened for general speech purposes, most come from equivalent Sanskrit words. Classical works of literature abound in this epic, rich language.

For those seeking an entry point into the oldest of civilizations, learning Hindi will open doors. Without understanding Hindi, it is next to impossible to grasp the unique elements of Indian civilization.

It was only in 1949 that Hindi was mandated for Government official use in India, and 1950 when it was written into the constitution as the official Indian language, which might surprise those who view it as an ancient language. And who has not heard of Bollywood? - Hindi movies are huge and certainly part of pop culture rather than associated with something ancient.

Hindi, as a language, is easy to learn and is quite necessary for those who wish to truly explore Indian culture. Hindi is useful from a business perspective also, as the Indian economy has opened up, and many companies, from call centers to software development houses, have operations based in or outsourced to India.

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Source by NP Dowling