Definition

1. Proper noun:

   • A modern Indo-Aryan language: Hindi is a language spoken widely in northern, central, and western India. It is one of the official languages of the Government of India, alongside English, and is written in the Devanagari script.

2. Adjective (less common):

   • Relating to the Hindi language or its speakers: Pertaining to the language itself or the people who speak it. This adjectival use is often seen in compound terms.

Examples of Usage

• Proper noun:

  • She is learning to read and write Hindi.
  • The official documents were published in both Hindi and English.
  • Hindi is spoken by hundreds of millions of people.

• Adjective:

  • The Hindi film industry is known as Bollywood.
  • He is a renowned Hindi poet.

Advanced Usage

• "Hindi-Urdu": Refers to the linguistic continuum that includes the standard registers of Hindi and Urdu, which are largely mutually intelligible in their spoken form but differ in script and formal vocabulary.
  • Linguists often discuss the Hindi-Urdu continuum.

Variants and Related Words

• Hindustani (noun): A historical term for the lingua franca of northern India, encompassing the colloquial bases of both modern Hindi and Urdu.
• Hindi-speaking (adjective): Describing a person or region that uses Hindi.
  • the Hindi-speaking population of Delhi.

Synonyms

• There are no direct synonyms for the language name "Hindi." Related terms include Hindustani (in a historical/linguistic context).

Related Phrases

• Standard Hindi: The standardized, Sanskrit-influenced register of the language used in official and formal contexts.
• Colloquial Hindi: The everyday, spoken form of the language which may include regional variations and loanwords.

Notes on Meaning

• It is important to distinguish Hindi (the language) from Hindu (a follower of Hinduism). They are different words with different meanings, though they share a common etymological root related to the Indus River.
• The term "Hindi" specifically refers to the modern Indic language. The provided reference context for the adjective "Hindu" (relating to Hinduism) is a separate word and concept, not a primary definition of "Hindi."

Adjective

1. of or relating to or supporting Hinduism
   • the Hindu faith

Noun

1. the most widely spoken of modern Indic vernaculars; spoken mostly in the north of India; along with English it is the official language of India; usually written in Devanagari script