In defence of the Prem'sāgar: re-evaluating the narrative of the Hindi-Urdu split
This chapter questions the claim that the prose literature of a once-common language was bifurcated into Hindi and Urdu with the foundation of Fort William College in 1800. It provides literary evidence that Hindi and Urdu had a distinct register from the very beginning. The language munshis of that...
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| Format: | Chapter/Article |
| Language: | English |
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2023
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| In: |
Language ideologies and the vernacular in colonial and postcolonial South Asia
Year: 2023, Pages: ? |
| Online Access: | Verlag, Verlagsseite, lizenzpflichtig: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003279921-17/defence-prem%CB%A1s%C4%81gar-gautam-liu?context=ubx&refId=1c1c8610-2334-4be3-a24b-d37ddf3fd498
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| Author Notes: | Gautam Liu |
| Summary: | This chapter questions the claim that the prose literature of a once-common language was bifurcated into Hindi and Urdu with the foundation of Fort William College in 1800. It provides literary evidence that Hindi and Urdu had a distinct register from the very beginning. The language munshis of that institution adhered to this tradition notwithstanding the pressure to produce textbooks in a mixed variety the colonial masters called Hindustani. Lalluji Lal‘s Premˡsāgar (1810) is often referred to as the starting point of a deliberate process to cleanse Hindi prose from foreign words with British rule functioning as the catalyst of the Hindi-Urdu split. A closer look at the historical context, genre and language of this first printed book of Khari boli Hindi will reveal a different picture, though. With that in mind, the underlying agenda against the Premˡsāgar that solely depicts it as an outcome of linguistic purism will be critically addressed. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 19.08.2025 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISBN: | 9781003279921 1003279929 9781000930429 1000930424 9781000930276 1000930270 |