Hindi is written in a script called Nagari or Devanagari. Hindi is normally spoken using a combination of 52 sounds, ten vowels, 40 consonants, nasalisation and a kind of aspiration. These sounds are represented in the Devanagari script by 52 symbols: for ten vowels, two modifiers and 40 consonants.

Dialects of Hindi

Hindi in a broad sense is a dialect continuum without clear boundaries. Hindi is often divided into Eastern Hindi and Western Hindi and these are further divided. Following is a list of important Hindi dialects.

• KHADIBOLI or SARHINDI, spoken in West Uttar Pradesh CHATTISGARHI or LAHARIA or KHALWAHI, spoken mostly in recently created Chattisgarh

• BAGHELI, spoken in Baghelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh AWADHI, spoken in central UP, the area formerily comprising the kingdom of AWADH

• FIJIAN HINDUSTANI is a form of AWADHI spoken by Fijians of India descent

• BIHARI, spoken in the regions of Bihar

• BHOJPURI, spoken in mainly eastern UP

• MAITHILI, now an official language of Bihar.

• MAGAHI, spoken in Magadh areas

• RAJASTHANI, spoken mostly in the state of Rajasthan and also comprised of several notable (sub) dialects

• BUNDELI, spoken in Bundelkhand region and Jhansi district of UP

• BRIJBHASHA, in vaguely defined regions of North Central India, centered on Delhi

• HARYANVI or BANGARU or JATTU, in the state of Haryana

• KANNAUJI, spoken in the area of Kannauj and surrounding areas in UP

• BAMBAIYA HINDI, the dialect of the city Mumbai and also the basis for the language of many popular Bollywood films

• EASTERN HINDI DIALECTS, centered on the holy city Varanasi, UP has a atrong influence of the Sanskritised learned Hindi vocabulary of standered Hindi