Persian language in India: Difference between revisions

[[File:India, Mughal, early 17th century - An Illuminated Folio from the Royal Manuscript of the Farhang-i Jahangiri ( - 2013.318.a - Cleveland Museum of Art.jpg|thumb|A page from the ''[[Farhang-i-Jahangiri]]'', a monumental dictionary compiled under [[Mughal Emperors]] [[Akbar]] and [[Jahangir]].<ref name=":4" /> Between the 10th and 19th centuries, Indian [[lexicography]] output consistently dwarfed that of [[Iran]].{{Sfn|Alam|2003|p=149}}]]The '''Persian language in the Indian subcontinent''' ({{lang-fa|{{Nastaliq|زبان فارسی در شبه‌قارهٔ هند}}}}), before the [[British Raj|British colonisation]], was the region's [[lingua franca]] and a widely used official language in North India.{{Efn|This article uses the terms 'India' and 'Indian' in a [[Names of India|historical sense]] to refer to the Indian subcontinent; this is not to be confused with the modern-day country of [[India]] and its citizens.|name=India_historical|group=lower-alpha}} The language was brought into [[South Asia]] by various [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] and [[Afghans|Afghan]] dynasties from the 11th century onwards, notable of which were the [[Ghaznavids]], [[Delhi Sultanate]] and the [[Mughal Dynasty]]. [[Persian language|Persian]] held official status in the court and the administration within these empires. It largely replaced [[Sanskrit]] as the language of politics, literature, education, and social status in the subcontinent.<ref name=":2" />

The spread of Persian closely followed the [[Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent|political]] and [[Islam in South Asia|religious]] growth of [[Islam]] in the Indian subcontinent. However Persian historically played the role of an overarching, often non-sectarian language connecting the diverse people of the region. It also helped construct a Persian identity, incorporating the Indian subcontinent into the transnational world of [[Greater Iran]], or [[Ajam]].{{Sfn|Alam|2003|p=134 & 188}} Persian's historical role and functions in the subcontinent have caused the language to be compared to [[South Asian English|English]] in the modern-day region.{{Sfn|Abidi|Gargesh|2008|p=103}}

Persian began to decline with the gradual deterioration of the [[Mughal Empire]]. [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] ([[Hindi]]-[[Urdu]]) and [[English language|English]] overshadowed Persian in importance as [[British Empire|British]] authority grew in the Indian subcontinent. Persian lost its official status in the [[East India Company]] in 1837, and Persian fell out of currency in the subsequent [[British Raj]].

Persian's linguistic legacy in the region is apparent through its impact on the [[Indo-Aryan languages]]. It played a formative role in the emergence of [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]], and had a relatively strong influence on [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], and [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]. Other languages like [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Rajasthani language|Rajasthani]], and [[Odia language|Odia]] also have a considerable amount of loan words from Persian.