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Glite Dictionary
Hindostani language

Hindostani language

9.2
A form of Hindi spoken around Delhi and northern India that came before modern Hindi and Urdu
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : idioma hindostaní
  • Before the formalization of Hindi and Urdu, people spoke a variant known as the Hindostani language.

Examples

  • The Hindostani language served as the linguistic bridge between North India's diverse communities.

  • Many classic songs and poems were originally composed in Hindostani language.

  • The Hindostani language has a rich history.

  • Did you know that the Hindostani language influenced Urdu?

  • Before the formalization of Hindi and Urdu, people spoke a variant known as the Hindostani language.

  • Many classic songs and poems were originally composed in Hindostani language.

  • The Hindostani language served as the linguistic bridge between North India's diverse communities.

Synonyms

Hindustani
vsHindostani language
8.2

A form of Hindi and Urdu spoken mainly in northern India

is presented as an earlier historical predecessor rather than the defined basis
Hindustani language
vsHindostani language
6.3

A language spoken around Delhi that is the base of modern Hindi and Urdu

is described more generally as a predecessor used before the modern standards
Hindostani
vsHindostani language
  • UK
9.9

An older form of Hindi people spoke around Delhi to talk across northern India

is presented more as an ancestral form than as a widely used common tongue
Hindoostani language
vsHindostani language
  • UK
9.9

An old form of Hindi spoken around Delhi that led to modern Hindi and Urdu

is presented as the same regional form but emphasised as a predecessor
Hindoostani
vsHindostani language
  • Archaic
9.9

A form of Hindi spoken around Delhi and used as a common language in northern India

is the modern description focusing on the form itself rather than older naming

Surface Forms

Hindostani language singular
Hindostani languages plural

Morphology

Hindostani + language

The meaning is directly compositional: 'Hindostani' names a particular speech variety and 'language' denotes a system of speech, so a learner who knows both words can infer this refers to the language/dialect called Hindostani. This noun + noun pattern is cross‑linguistically common and does not require idiomatic knowledge, making the phrase predictable to B1 learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

Hindostani language takes its name from 'Hindustan', the old name for northern India, and it was the everyday speech around Delhi that mixed words from different peoples. That's why it is seen as the shared, earlier form of the modern languages Hindi and Urdu.