Persian and Urdu: Difference between revisions

Hindustani (sometimes called Hindi-Urdu) is a colloquial language and lingua franca of Pakistan and the [[Hindi Belt]]. It forms a [[dialect continuum]] between its two formal registers: the highly Persianised Urdu, and the Sanskritised Hindi to make it easier for all people of the Republic of India.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rahman|first=Tariq|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010094507/http://www.tariqrahman.net/content/hindiurdu1.pdf|title=From Hindi to Urdu: A Social and Political History|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=99}}</ref> Urdu uses [[Urdu alphabet|a modification of the Persian alphabet]], whereas Hindi uses [[Devanagari]]. Hindustani in its common form is often referred to as Urdu or Hindi, depending on the background of the speaker/institution. This situation is fraught with sociopolitical factors and controversies, in which Persian plays a part.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Shackle|first=Christopher|title=Persian Elements in Indian Languages|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/india-xviii-persian-elements-in-indian-languages|url-status=live|website=Encyclopaedia Iranica}}</ref> The common linguistic position is to use Urdu as the term for the ''register,'' and Hindustani for the spoken, common language.

Hindustani bears significant influence from Persian. In its common form it already incorporates many long-assimilated words and phrases from Persian, which it shares with speakers across national borders. As the register Urdu, it bears the most Persian influence of any lect in the subcontinent, featuring further vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation influences.<ref name=":0" /> The latter form of the language is associated with formal contexts and prestige, and is deployed as the medium of written communication, education, and media in Pakistan. This happens in more restricted settings in India, where Hindi is more widely used for these purposes; Urdu appears in the social contexts and institutions associated with the [[Islam in India|Muslims of India]], as well as in literary circles.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Matthews|first=David|title=Urdu|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/urdu|url-status=live|website=Encyclopaedia Iranica}}</ref> It is one of [[Scheduled languages of India|India's 22 scheduled languages]], and also given the status of co-official languages in many states.