Urdu
Noun: 1. An Indo-Aryan language: Urdu is a major language of South Asia. It is the national language and a lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also officially recognized in India and has significant numbers of speakers in other countries. Its standard form is nearly identical in its basic grammar and core vocabulary to Standard Hindi, forming a single dialect continuum often called Hindustani. The primary distinctions are in their formal and literary registers: Urdu draws more heavily on Persian and Arabic vocabulary and is written in a Perso-Arabic script (Nastaʿlīq).
- Noun:
- She is fluent in Urdu and English.
- The poetry was originally written in Urdu.
- Many Bollywood film songs incorporate Urdu words and phrases.
- As a modifier: Urdu can function attributively to describe things related to the language.
- He is an Urdu poet.
- She studies Urdu literature.
- Hindustani (noun): The overarching term for the colloquial, common language that encompasses both Urdu and Hindi.
- Hindi (noun): The official language of India, closely related to Urdu but written in the Devanagari script and drawing more from Sanskrit in its formal vocabulary.
- Hindustani (in its broad, colloquial sense)
The word "Urdu" specifically refers to the standardized literary and official form of the language. In everyday conversation, especially in northern India and Pakistan, the spoken language is often simply called "Hindi" or "Urdu" based on the speaker's religious or cultural identity, though the underlying vernacular is largely the same. The formal, literary registers of the two languages are more distinct.
- the official literary language of Pakistan, closely related to Hindi; widely used in India (mostly by Moslems); written in Arabic script