Urdu

Urdu is a name of one of the languages which is spoken in South Asia. It is spoken in Pakistan and Indian-administered Kashmir and is an official language of the country. It is also an official language of India. It is spoken all over India and particularly in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.

History

As Mongol hordes swept across Central Asia in the Middle Ages, a new word developed in several languages. The Mongol military camp was known in Turkish as ordo, is a Turkic word meaning Lashkar (Army), in English as horde and in Tatar as Urdu. The descendants of the Mongols, the Mughals, settled in the subcontinent where they became one of the world's most renowned patrons of beautiful art and architecture. Their royal encampments retained the Tatar word , Urdu, which became the word for the language spoken in the military camp. Since this language had been used by the Army in Mughal Era it had been given the name Urdu. So wherever the Mughal Army moved it has adopted the different words from languages of different regions of the Indian subcontinent. Mainly, words used in Urdu are from Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit. However the origin of this language itself pre-dates the Mughals.

Levels of formality

Urdu in its less formalised register has been called a rekhta (ریختہ, [reːxt̪aː]), meaning "rough mixture". The more formal register of Urdu is sometimes called zabān-e-Urdu-e-mo'alla (زبان اردو معلہ [zəbaːn eː ʊrd̪uː eː moəllaː]), the "Language of Camp and Court."

The etymology of the word used in the Urdu language for the most part decides how nice or well done your speech is. For example, Urdu speakers would distinguish between پانی pānī and آب āb, both meaning "water" for example, or between آدمی ādmi and مرد mard, meaning "man." The first in each set is used colloquially and has older Hindustani origins, while the last in the set is used formally and poetically.

If a word is of Persian or Arabic origin, the level of speech is thought to be more formal and nice. Similarly, if Persian or Arabic grammar constructs, such as the izafat, are used in Urdu, the level of speech is also thought more formal and nice. If a word is inherited from Sanskrit, the level of speech is thought more colloquial and personal.

Politeness

Urdu is supposed to be a nice and well done language; many of words are used in it to show respect and politeness. This emphasis on politeness, which comes from the vocabulary, is known as adab and to sometimes as takalluf in Urdu. These words are mostly used when addressing elders, or people with whom one is not met yet.