About Hindi

While Hindi is now the national language of India Modern Hindi took a while to reach its current status. Modern Hindi is derived from ancient khariboli, the original language vernacular spoken in Delhi. Eventually khariboli became known as Urdu in the 17th century, which later became Hindi-Urdu and the Modern Hindi that is spoken today. Urdu is still spoken in Pakistan and is its official language.

In 1950 Modern Hindi became India’s national language, meaning it is used in all official and government papers and is noted as the national language in the Indian constitution. However, in India English is also considered a national language, and it is used in all government and official papers along with each states official language if it differs from either of the two. For example, some Indian states have adopted Urdu as a state language so their official government documents might have three separate copies in Hindi, English, and Urdu.

In 1958 India’s national government released a report that standardized the grammar of Modern Hindi language for use in all government and educational fields. However, even with the standardization and adoption of Hindi for national use, many districts and cities continue to use their own variations or dialects some of which are based on Hindi and sound similar and others which rely heavily on surrounding districts.

Today, the Hindi language has over 480 million speakers worldwide and is understood or spoken in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and even Fiji.

Learning Hindi can be a challenge to people who grew up speaking western languages, but just like learning any other language it can also be a lot of fun. When you are ready to learn how to speak Hindi try enrolling in a class or learn from an online podcast. In addition, you could ask any friends or relatives who already speak Hindi to teach you new Hindi vocabulary words and help you with your pronunciation.

One thing you want to keep in mind as you’re studying the various parts of the language such as the Hindi alphabet, words, phrases, and even Hindi verbs is to have patience with yourself if you don’t get it right away. If learning a new language was easy everyone would do it.

By committing yourself to learn how to speak Hindi you are joining the ranks of people worldwide who know a second or third language. Not only will you have bragging rights over those who only speak one language, but you may even inspire some of them to give it a try and try to learn Hindi as well.