From a Lingua Franca to a Communal Language: The Islamicization of Urdu in British India
2021; Volume: 24; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.17151/rasv.2022.24.1.13
ISSN2462-9782
Autores Tópico(s)South Asian Studies and Conflicts
ResumoThe Urdu language, alternatively known as Hindustani, enjoyed the status of a lingua franca in the Indian subcontinent due to the fact that it was a common medium of expression used by Indians regardless of their faith. However, around the mid-nineteenth century, mutations on the Indian scene were to pose a challenge to this status which rendered this language an exclusively Islamic one. Therefore, this paper seeks to highlight the process of this transition—that is, from a common language used by all to a communal one—as well as the motivating forces behind such a change which, ultimately, led to the fragmentation of the country by the mid-twentieth century
Referência(s)