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.
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 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.
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.
What it is for: Communication, literature and identity in South Asia and the diaspora.
It can be explain the language, script and varieties; relay codes, status and speaker figures; present the Hindi-Urdu relationship with attribution; find learning and literary resources.
Distinguishing features
Perso-Arabic script
Persian and Arabic learned vocabulary
National language of Pakistan
Shared spoken base with Hindi
What it looks like
Written right to left in Nastaliq script; spoken with grammar shared with Hindi and vocabulary from Persian and Arabic.
Physical character
native speakers: about 70 million people - estimates vary
total speakers: about 230 million people - including second-language speakers; estimates vary
How it is recognised
Nastaliq script
Hindustani grammar shared with Hindi
Hindi in Devanagari and Punjabi are related but distinct entries
Related models
is a kind of - the branch
is a form of - with Hindi
is related to - the closest related standard
is written in - the script
In practice
Families and kinds
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
Identifiers
ISO 639-1 ur
ISO 639-3 urd
Glottolog urdu1245
Standards and regulation
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
Failure modes and hazards
Presenting the Hindi-Urdu question as settled either way
Unsourced speaker figures
Stereotyping speakers by religion or nation
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 Urdu is.
Identity.
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.
Policy.
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.
Attribution.
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.
Practice.
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
What the second pass must settle
- 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?