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Role of Pashtuns in development of Urdu langauge

Mian Babban

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An interesting post from a historium user msnr;

In my opinion, Persianisation of Hindustani has no direct connection with Islamization or Islamic Empires. The reason for high Persianisation of Hindustani is most likely the mass settlement of Pashtun people in the Katehar region from around early 18th century. The dialect of Katehar region (also called Khari Boli) is the base of Urdu language (a standard form of Hindustani).

Points in support of my argument: We see Western UP and Bengal came under the Islamic rule almost at the same time. And Islamization was way more successful in Bengal as compare to Western UP, still the impact of Persianisation on Bengali is way less than as compare to that on Hindustani. Further Bengali Muslims never adopted Persian script for their language.
Even in Sindh, that came under Islamic rule 500 years before Western UP, the impact of Persianisation on Sindhi language is still less as compare to that on Hindustani. And Persian script was also introduced to Sindhi language by the Britishers.

Even under the Mughal Empire, it was the Braj Bhasha and Awadhi that enjoyed the literary status in Gangetic Plains. The rise of Urdu from mid 18th century, is strangely contemporary to the fall of Mughal Empire. Those who don't know, Braj Bhasha and Awadhi has very little impact of Persian when compared with Urdu. The fall of Braj Bhasha and Awadhi is also strangely contemporary to the fall of Mughal Empire.

If you understand Hindustani, then compare these two couplets written in Mughal court, one at its peak and another at its doom:

'Rahiman' dekh baden ko laghu na dijiye daar.
jahaan kaam aawe sui, kaha kare tarwaar..


Kitna hai badnaseeb 'Zafar' dafan ke liye.
do gaz zameen bhi na mili ku-e-yaar mein..


Moreover, the center of Islamic Empires, Delhi is in Haryanvi dialect region. However, it is the Khari Boli dialect from Katehar region that became the base of Standard Hindustani. This Standard form that became popular in Delhi during the fall of Mughal Empire is different from the dialects of nearby villages of Jats and Gujjars.

Lastly the Modern Standard Hindi has no continuity with Braj Bhasha and Awadhi. Standard Hindi, like Urdu is also based on Khari Boli dialect rather than Braj Bhasha or Awadhi. Modern Standard Hindi was developed in William College Calcutta by a British linguist John Gilchrist by simply replacing the superficial Persian vocabulary of Urdu with Sanskrit. Another famous linguist Grierson called Standard Hindi a wonderful hybrid invented by Europeans.
 
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