Hindi-Urdu Studies
Knowledge of Hindi-Urdu will prepare students for travel and careers overseas, or work in multi-cultural settings.
Program Overview
Hindi and Urdu are two Indo-European languages that have a long and complex history. They share a common grammatical base and are mutually comprehensible at the level of colloquial speech. In formal usage, however, the two languages often vary so greatly that they may not be mutually intelligible. The two languages also have different writing systems – Hindi is written in the Devanagari script and Urdu is written in a modified form of the Perso-Arabic script. Hindi and Urdu are spoken in India, Pakistan, and throughout the world in the South Asian diaspora.
Minor in Hindi-Urdu
The minor in Hindi-Urdu Studies at NC State offers students a unique opportunity to learn and study these two languages, while also highlighting the overlapping histories and cultural contexts within which these languages are spoken in South Asia and throughout the world.
Major in Asian Language
The Department of World Languages and Cultures also offers a major concentration in Asian Languages, with an emphasis on Hindi-Urdu. Basic requirements include four years of study in Hindi-Urdu, plus advanced courses in literature, history, and related humanities studies, plus a senior capstone seminar.
Why Study Hindi-Urdu?
Spoken in India, Pakistan, and throughout the world in the South Asian diaspora, Hindi-Urdu is among the top five most widely spoken languages in the world. Proficiency in Hindi-Urdu provides students with access to a vast treasury of South Asian cultural, historical, literary and religious knowledge. It is also the language of one of the world’s most popular and prolific film industries. In addition, the U.S. Government has designated both Hindi and Urdu as “critical languages” for national security and economic competitiveness.
At NC State, the completion of courses in Hindi-Urdu may be used to fulfill the foreign language component of the university’s General Education Program (GEP) requirements. Language and literature courses at the intermediate and advanced levels, as well as South Asian literature and culture courses, count toward the Hindi-Urdu minor, the major concentration in Asian Language, and in some cases, toward the GEP Humanities requirements and the GEP Global Knowledge co-requisite. Consult with your adviser for further details.
Faculty
Dr. Sujata Mody
Associate Professor, Asian Language Major & Hindi-Urdu Minor Adviser
Section Coordinator, Hindi-Urdu
Email: ssmody@ncsu.edu
Office: Withers 417
Phone: 919-515-9315
Dr. Nilakshi Phukan
Associate Teaching Professor
Email: nphukan@ncsu.edu
Office: Withers 220
Phone: 919-949-1618