Urdu – The language of the army

The Technology Development for Indian Languages Program developed Urdu keyboards and fonts, which can be used on Android phones and computers with a windows based operating system. The organization claims that the keyboards have the capability of handling scripts written left to right in Urdu. The Android keyboard is also available for QWERTY keypads and it can also support English language scripts.

Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and it is also the official language used in 5 Indian states. Urdu can be considered to be a standardized version of the Hindustani language. It is mutually intelligible with other Hindustani registers, such as Hindu, though most Urdu vocabulary is derived from Persian and Arabic languages, while most Hindu vocabulary was derived from Sanskrit. Most Urdus have adopted Hindu and English terms as a result of globalization and influence from Bollywood, the Indian film industry. There are approximately 60 to 70 million speakers worldwide. Out of this, 62 million can be found in India, 13 million in Pakistan and the remaining speakers can be found in other countries such as the United Kingdom, Zambia, Afghanistan, Germany, Mauritius, Botswana, Nepal, Thailand, Norway, Nepal, South Africa, Guyana, Fiji, United States, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh. Most Urdus are Muslims, as the language is spoken in countries where there are large Muslim communities, or areas that were once Muslim powerhouses. In Bangladesh Urdu is known as Bihari.

Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language. It was developed during the 12 century. It was used as the main means of communication among Muslim soldiers during the conquest of ancient India. The word Urdu was derived from the Turkish word ordu, which means ‘army’ or ‘camp’. Some Indian schools teach Urdu and they also have their own syllabus and exams. Amir Khosrow was the first major Urdu poet. He composed riddles, folk songs and poems in Urdu, the called Hindvi. During the 17th century, there is evidence to suggest the fact that Urdu was referred to as Hindustani. Most major writers also continued referring to the language as Hindvi or Hindu until the 19th century. Urdu has 3 main dialects. This includes Rekhta, Dakhni and Modern Vernacular Urdu.

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