Urdu

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A language of Pakistan

ISO 639-3
urd
Alternate Names
Bihari
Population

10,000,000 in Pakistan (1998 census). Population total all countries: 63,431,800.

Location

Widespread. Also in Bahrain, Bangladesh (Bihari), Botswana, Canada, Denmark, Fiji, Germany, India, Malawi, Mauritius, Nepal, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Zambia.

Language Maps
Language Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1973, Constitution, Article 251(1)).

Classification
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Western Hindi, Hindustani
Dialects

Intelligible with Hindi, but formal vocabulary borrowed from Arabic and Persian. Dakhini dialect of Urdu [urd] in India has fewer Persian and Arabic loans than Urdu. Rekhta is a form of Urdu used in poetry.

Language Use

Including L2 speakers: 104,000,000 (1999). Used as L2 by most other Pakistanis.

Language Development
Fully developed. Bible: 1843–1998.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Urdu
Writing
Arabic script, Nastaliq style, primary usage. Braille script.
Other Comments

Muslim.

Also spoken in:

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