Hindi
Let an agent describe Hindi, its status, varieties and relation to Urdu with attribution, relay speaker figures and official status from sources, explain grammar and writing in outline, and point to learning and reference resources.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent describe Hindi, its status, varieties and relation to Urdu with attribution, relay speaker figures and official status from sources, explain grammar and writing in outline, and point to learning and reference resources.
An Indo-Aryan language of northern India, the standardised register of Hindustani written in Devanagari with Sanskrit-derived vocabulary, one of the official languages of the Indian Union and the first language of several hundred million people, with many more speaking it as a second language across India and in diaspora communities; Hindi and Urdu share a common grammar and core vocabulary and are treated as one language or two depending on criteria, and contact varieties of Hindi are spoken in regions such as Bihar, the Andamans and the northeast.
What it is for: Communication in India and the diaspora.
It can be describe the language, varieties and status; explain the Hindi-Urdu relationship with attribution; relay speaker figures with sources; point to learning resources.
Distinguishing features
Devanagari script
Sanskritised vocabulary in the standard
Shared base with Urdu
Wide second-language use
What it looks like
Not a visible object; written in Devanagari.
Physical character
first language speakers: about 340 million people - Indian census, including grouped languages
total speakers: about 600 million people - estimates vary
How it is recognised
Standardised Hindustani in Devanagari
Official language of the Indian Union
Urdu is the Perso-Arabic-script register; regional languages counted under Hindi in censuses are distinct
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is a kind of - the family
is related to - the other standard register
is written in - the script
In practice
Families and kinds
Modern Standard Hindi
Hindi dialects and regional languages grouped under Hindi in censuses
contact and pidginised varieties in Bihar, the Andamans and the northeast
Hindi in the diaspora, including Fiji Hindi and communities in the Gulf, Pakistan and South Korea
Bollywood and media Hindi
Identifiers
ISO 639-1 hi
ISO 639-3 hin
Standards and regulation
Constitution of India, Part XVII and the Eighth Schedule
Official Languages Act 1963
Standardisation by the Central Hindi Directorate
Failure modes and hazards
Conflating census groupings with the language
Presenting the Hindi-Urdu question as settled
Unsourced speaker figures
Political sensitivity of language policy
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Identify What Hindi is.
Identity.
Definition
Language and varieties.
Definition
Definition.
- What is Hindi, and what varieties and registers exist? definition
- Is the question about Standard Hindi, a regional language grouped under it, or Hindustani as a whole? boundary
Urdu
Hindi and Urdu.
Urdu
Urdu.
- How do Hindi and Urdu relate, and what positions exist on whether they are one language, with attribution? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Status Status and speakers.
Sources.
Official
Official status.
Official
Official.
- What is the constitutional and official status of Hindi in India and elsewhere? provenance
- Which entry fits language policy in India? action
Speakers
Speakers.
Speakers
Speakers.
- How many people speak Hindi, and how do census groupings affect the figures? measurement
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Structure Grammar and writing.
Linguistics.
Grammar
Grammar.
Grammar
Grammar.
- What are the main features of Hindi grammar in outline? definition
- Which entry fits Hindustani grammar? action
Writing
Script and vocabulary.
Writing
Writing.
- How is Hindi written, and where does its vocabulary come from? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Culture Culture and learning.
Context.
Literature
Literature and media.
Literature
Literature.
- What are the main traditions of Hindi literature, cinema and media? provenance
- Which entry fits Hindi literature? action
Learning
Learning resources.
Learning
Learning.
- Which resources exist for learning Hindi? provenance
- Which entry fits language learning? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should Hindustani be the primary entry?
- How should census sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming diaspora and contact varieties; should they be split off?