Defining the Indefinable: Delimiting Hindi (Studies in Oriental Culture and Literature Book 1)

The nine extensive essays of this volume are by specialists on South Asia whose research focus includes the extremely complicated problematics of the linguistic situation there. It is devoted to the broadly understood problem of defining Hindi as well as indicating the different ranges of its use. The authors of the included texts come from Europe, the USA and India, and grapple with questions such as what Hindi is, how it functions in the social, political and cultural dimensions of present-day India, and how it is being used by authorities and various influential actors at different levels of Indian reality. The volume should be important and useful for all those who are interested in Hindi, its official and non-official status, and in Indian linguistic policy and politics generally. Cover Table of Contents Foreword Defining Hindi: An Introductory Overview References Hindi Revisited: Language and Language Policies in India in Perspective References Traces of Sacredness in Imaginings of Hindi 1. Sacred Languages and the Case of Sanskrit 2. Sacred Texts in “Hindi” 3. Hindi as Heir to Sanskrit and the Nagari Linkage 4. Hindutva and Hindi 5. Popular Misunderstandings 6. Conclusion References Depoliticising Hindi in India 1. Introduction 2. Depoliticising Hindi in the South 3. Depoliticising Hindi in the North Indian Hindi Belt 4. Conclusion References Hindi as a Contact Language of Northeast India 1. Introduction 1.1. The Official Strength of Hindi Speakers 1.2. Varieties of Hindi 2. Hindi Used in Arunachal Pradesh 2.1. The Structure of Arunachalese Hindi 2.1.1. Formation of the Plural 2.1.2. Lack of Agreement 2.1.3. Absence of Oblique Marking 2.1.4. Lexicon: Some Peculiarities 2.1.5. Innovations 3. Hindi Used in Meghalaya 3.1. Degree of Competence in Meghalaya Hindi 3.2. Structure of Meghalaya Hindi 4. Common features of Arunachalese Hindi and Meghalaya Hindi 4.1. Vulnerability of Adoption 4.2. Particle -vālā 4.3. Use of Modal sak as a Main Verb 4.4. Adjectives and Nouns Can Occupy the Predicate Slot 5. Conclusion References Appendix: Varieties of Hindi returned as Mother Tongues in the Census of 2001 Linguistic Relationships: Bhojpuri and Standard Hindi: A View from the Western Hemisphere Introduction Historical Relationship between Bhojpuri and ‘Hindi’ A View from the Western Hemisphere Nomenclature Interaction between Various Speech Forms Relationship between Guyanese Bhojpuri and Standard Hindi Rise of the Intermediate Variety References Filmī Zubān. The Language of Hindi Cinema 1. Hindi in Urdu, Urdu in Hindi 2. Gangā-Jamunī Tahẕīb 3. Avadh to Bombay, Lahore to Bombay 3.1. Parsi Theatre 3.2. Urdu Writers 3.3. Punjabi Migration 4. Iśḵ, Farz, Daulat and Tasavvuf 5. Filmī Dialoguebaazi 6. Ġazal, Šāʿirī and the Hindi Film Romance 7. Conclusion References Hindi/Urdu/Hindustani in the Metropolises: Visual (and Other) Impressions 1. The Fate of Urdu in Independent India 2. Languages/Scripts in Public Spaces 2.1. Delhi 2.2. Mumbai 2.3. Hyderabad 3. Linguistic Shifts (Hindi/Urdu/Hindustani)—the Example of Delhi References A Mixed Language? Hinglish and Business Hindi 1. Hindi and Mixing, or, How Mixed Is Hindi? 2. Business Hindi: A Mixed Variety of a Nationwide Language? 2.1. Official Regulations on Business Hindi 2.2. Use of Business Hindi in Official Documents 2.3. Business Hindi— Oral Communication and Presence in the Public Domain 3. Conclusion References List of Contributors The nine essays of this volume, devoted to the broadly understood problem of the definition and usage of Hindi, tackle the issue of what "Hindi" is, and analyse its various aspects as official language, link language, language of diasporas, language of cultural and religious tradition, language used in economy and business, etc. «In this collection of papers, not only is the current situation of “Hindi” comprehensively surveyed, but also its complexity elucidated in the light of the past by considering its historical vicissitudes and cultural background.» (Makoto Kitada, Orientalistischen Literaturzeitung 112/2017)