Urdu
Let an agent describe Urdu as a language with its script, varieties, status and history, relay codes and speaker figures from linguistic and official sources, present the Hindi-Urdu relationship and its politics with attribution, and route learning and translation questions to resources.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Identify What Urdu is.
Language
Language and codes.
Language
Language.
- What is Urdu, what are its codes, and how does it relate to Hindi and Hindustani? definition
- Is the question about Urdu, Hindi or Hindustani as a whole? boundary
Script
Script and varieties.
Script
Script.
- How is Urdu written, and what regional and diaspora varieties exist? definition
- Which entry fits a specific variety? action
Status Status and speakers.
Legal
Legal status.
Legal
Legal.
- What official status does Urdu have in Pakistan, India and elsewhere? provenance
- Which entry fits language policy? action
Speakers
Speakers.
Speakers
Speakers.
- How many people speak Urdu, and where, from census and survey sources? measurement
- Which sources are cited? provenance
History History and politics.
Past
Historical development.
Past
Past.
- How did Urdu develop from Hindustani through the Mughal, colonial and partition periods? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Politics
Hindi-Urdu question.
Politics
Politics.
- How is the relationship between Hindi and Urdu described by linguists and by the communities, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral and attributed? boundary
Use Literature and learning.
Literature
Literature.
Literature
Literature.
- What are the major traditions of Urdu poetry and prose? provenance
- Which entry fits Urdu literature? action
Learning
Learning resources.
Learning
Learning.
- How can Urdu be learned, and which dictionaries and courses exist? provenance
- Which entry fits language learning? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- INF
- Domain
- INF.MED
- Other names and narrower kinds
- Urdu in the United Kingdom, Urdu in Nepal, Punjabi Hindwi, Kaimganj Pathan Urdu, Judæo-Urdu, Lashkari, Modern Standard Urdu, Kolkataiya Urdu, Dialects of Urdu, Dakhanī, Dhakaiya Urdu, Hyderabadi Urdu
What it is Filled
An Indo-Aryan language of South Asia, the national language of Pakistan and an official language in several Indian states, written in the Perso-Arabic Nastaliq script and closely related to Hindi, with which it shares grammar and everyday vocabulary as forms of Hindustani, differing in script and in learned vocabulary drawn from Persian and Arabic; Urdu has a major literary tradition and large diaspora communities.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent describe Urdu as a language with its script, varieties, status and history, relay codes and speaker figures from linguistic and official sources, present the Hindi-Urdu relationship and its politics with attribution, and route learning and translation questions to resources.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Perso-Arabic script
- Persian and Arabic learned vocabulary
- National language of Pakistan
- Shared spoken base with Hindi
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Present the Hindi-Urdu question as settled either way.
- Stereotype Urdu speakers by religion or nation.
- Give unsourced speaker figures.
- Produce Urdu text for official, legal or medical use without saying it needs checking by a qualified speaker.
Only with a human decision
- Publishing official, legal or medical translations into Urdu.
May
- Help people learn, read and translate Urdu with attention to script and register.
- Explain Urdu's relation to Hindi and its Persian and Arabic vocabulary, citing linguistic sources.
- Relay official status and speaker figures with sources and dates.
Moral aspects Filled
- Language has been tied to religious and national division in South Asia.
- Poor translation can deny speakers access to services.
Who is affected
- Urdu speakers
- Learners and translators
- Communities in South Asia and the diaspora
Owners Filled
Steward
The speech community; national language bodies promote standards.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q3361977 - registry parent class
related
- Indo-Aryan language - the branch
- Hindustani - with Hindi
- Hindi - the closest related standard
- Nastaliq - the script
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.urdu
- Wikidata: Q1617 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1617)
- ISO 639-1: ur
- ISO 639-3: urd
- Glottolog: urdu1245
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
- native speakers: about 70 million people - estimates vary
- total speakers: about 230 million people - including second-language speakers; estimates vary
Plane INF: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Nastaliq script
- Hindustani grammar shared with Hindi
- Hindi in Devanagari and Punjabi are related but distinct entries
- Written right to left in Nastaliq script; spoken with grammar shared with Hindi and vocabulary from Persian and Arabic.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain the language, script and varieties
- relay codes, status and speaker figures
- present the Hindi-Urdu relationship with attribution
- find learning and literary resources
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Presenting the Hindi-Urdu question as settled either way
- Unsourced speaker figures
- Stereotyping speakers by religion or nation
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Constitution of Pakistan on the national language
- Indian state language laws recognising Urdu
- ISO 639 language codes
- Language academies such as the National Language Promotion Department
Context of use required Filled
- Communication, literature and identity in South Asia and the diaspora.
- Standard Urdu
- Dakhini and other regional varieties
- Urdu in India and Pakistan
- diaspora Urdu in the United Kingdom, the Gulf and elsewhere
- historical forms such as Rekhta and Lashkari
- Judaeo-Urdu and other minority varieties
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q1617: Urdu - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Urdu - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should Hindustani be the primary entry?
- How should census sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases for diaspora and historical varieties; should they be split off?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q1617/spec.json