PrefaceModern Hindi Grammar aims at providing basic information on
various aspects of Hindi phonology, morphology, and syntax along
with their unique features or characteristics.
Hindi has a special status in India. It is spoken by the largest
population in India. It is the official language of the Union of India
and eleven state governments, including Delhi. It is taught as a
second language in all the non-Hindi speaking states under the three-
language formula. Under this formula, a child is supposed to learn
his mother tongue, Hindi, and English. If a child’s mother tongue is
Hindi, (s)he is expected to learn an additional modern Indian
language or a foreign language. Hindi is taught as a foreign language
in a large number of countries throughout the world. Besides need-
based language learning materials, there is a need for a
pedagogically oriented grammar of this language. The present
grammar aims to fulfill the need of second/foreign language learners
of Hindi in India as well as other countries. A large number of Hindi
speakers have settled in non-Hindi speaking states in India, or have
migrated and settled abroad. The second generation of these
migrants is fast losing contact with their mother tongue in the
absence of its use in various domains of their day-to-day life in alien
surroundings. They are looking for suitable language learning
materials including pedagogically oriented grammars for
maintaining the language among their children.
Hindi has a long tradition of grammars and grammatical literature.
The existing grammars mentioned in the introduction as well as in
references are either too old and do not describe modern spoken and
written Hindi, or they are sketchy or too scholarly or detailed. They
do not fulfill the needs of second and/or foreign language learners or
those native speakers who want to maintain the language in an alien
atmosphere.
This grammar is pedagogically oriented. It will be of special interest
to Hindi language learners and teachers in different situations. It will
also be of interest to linguists and researchers working in the area of
language typology, and to general readers as well.
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