Hindi is a direct descendant of Sanskrit through
Prakrit and Apabhramsha which emerged in the 7th
century. Approximately six hundred million people
speak Hindi, as either a first or second language. It
is ranked among the five most widely spoken languages
of the world. Along with English, it is the official
language of India and Uttar Pradesh. More than 180
million people in India regard Hindi as their mother
tongue. Another 300 million use it as second language.
Hindi has been influenced and enriched by Dravidian,
Turkish, Farsi, Arabic, Portuguese and English.
It is a very expressive language to write poems and
songs as it can convey emotions using simple and gentle
words.
Historically, it was synonymous with Hindui, Hindawi,
Rexta, and Rexti. The terms Urdu and Hindustani
are also employed to refer to this language. However,
these labels denote a mixed speech spoken around the
area of Delhi which gained popularity during the twelfth
and thirteenth centuries as a contact language between
the Arabs, Afghans, Persian and Turks, and native residents.
Some notable literary figures of Hindi are Kabir,
Surdas, and Tulsidas.
Dialects of Hindi: Marwari, Braj, Bundeli, Kanauji,
Urdu, Chattisgarhi, Bagheli, Avadhi, Bhojpuri and many
others.
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