Urdu

Urdu is a Central Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-European family. It is primarily spoken in Pakistan and six states of India. Urdu is associated with the Nastaliq style of Persian calligraphy, and reads right-to-left.

History

Urdu developed in the 12th century CE from the regional Apabhramsha of northwestern India, serving as a linguistic bridge between the court and the common people. The language was used as a tool for the cultural and poetic dialogues between Persian-speaking Muslims and Hindu writers.

Modern Urdu

In the 20th century, the word "Urdu" was used to describe the language of the Mughal courts, both in the courts themselves and in the homes of the nobility. Today, Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan, and it is also an officially recognized language in India.

Urdu Literature

Urdu literature is rich in forms of poetry and prose. The ghazal is a common form of poetry in Urdu, while the nazm represents the modern trends in the language. Prose in Urdu includes a wide range of genres, from short stories to novels.

Urdu and Hindi

Urdu and Hindi are two standardised registers of the same language, Hindustani. They are mutually intelligible, and very similar in basic structure and grammar. The main differences are found in the higher levels of vocabulary and the writing system.

Writing system

Urdu is written in the Nastaʿlīq script, a calligraphic style of the Arabic script. The Nastaliq style is a cursive script that was developed in the 8th-9th century CE in Persia.

See also

• Languages of India
• Languages of Pakistan
• Hindustani language
• Urdu literature
• Nastaʿlīq script