| Population |
180,000,000 in India (1991 UBS). Population total all countries: 180,764,791. Ethnic population: 363,839,000 (1997 IMA). |
| Region |
Throughout northern India: Delhi; Uttar Pradesh; Uttaranchal; Rajasthan; Punjab; Madhya Pradesh; northern Bihar; Himachal Pradesh. Also spoken in Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Germany, Kenya, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Yemen, Zambia. |
| Alternate names |
Khari Boli, Khadi Boli |
| Dialects |
Formal vocabulary is borrowed from Sanskrit, de-Persianized, de-Arabicized. Literary Hindi, or Hindi-Urdu, has four varieties: Hindi (High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, Literary Hindi, Standard Hindi); Urdu; Dakhini; Rekhta. State language of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh. Languages and dialects in the Western Hindi group are Hindustani, Haryanvi, Braj Bhasha, Kanauji, Bundeli; see separate entries. |
| Classification |
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Western Hindi, Hindustani |
| Language use |
Official language. Spoken as first language by the Saharia in Madhya Pradesh. Hindi, Hindustani, Urdu could be considered co-dialects, but have important sociolinguistic differences. 120,000,000 second-language speakers (1999 WA). |
| Language development |
Devanagari script. Radio programs. Grammar. Bible: 1818–2000. |
| Comments |
SOV. Hindu. |
