Caribbean Hindustani

16,000 in Trinidad & Tobago (1996)

## Overview

**Caribbean Hindustani** is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a *lingua franca* by Indo-Caribbeans and the Indo-Caribbean diaspora. It is based on Bhojpuri with influences from Awadhi. These were spoken by indentured laborers who came as immigrants to the Caribbean from the Indian subcontinent. It is closely related to Fiji Hindi, the Bhojpuri spoken in Mauritius and the Hindustani spoken in South Africa.

Because a majority of people came from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan, Caribbean Hindustani is most influenced by Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Braj Bhasha, other Bihari dialects, Marwari and other Rajasthani dialects. It has a very minor influence from Tamil, Telugu, and other Dravidian languages. It has also borrowed a large number of words from Dutch in Suriname and other Dutch colonies, and English and French in former British colonies and French colonies. A large number of words, unique to Caribbean Hindustani, have been created to cater for the new environment that Indo-Caribbeans now live in.

Caribbean Hindustani is the *lingua franca* of most Indo-Caribbeans, although Tamil and Telugu are the *lingua francas* for Indians in French Guiana, Martinique, and Guadeloupe; where a majority of the Indians are of Dravidian (South Indian) descent.

Like the Hindustani spoken in the Indian subcontinent, Caribbean Hindustani is broken up into Caribbean Hindi and Caribbean Urdu. Hindustani refers to both Hindi and Urdu. Hindi is spoken by Hindus and people of Hindu descent, whereas Urdu is spoken by Muslimsand people of Muslim descent. Hindi has more influence from Sanskrit, while Urdu has more influence from Arabic and Persian. Hindi is written in the Devanagari, Devanagari Braille, and Kaithi script, whereas Urdu is written in the Perso-Arabic script and Urdu Braille, although in more recent times they both are written in the Latin script and English Braille.

## Caribbean Hindustani excerpt from ohchr.org

Bichaar kar ke, ki, ego apan ke iddjat aur ekahie aur ego basis hak ba, sab sansaar ke basis, aadjádi, niaai aur shaant hai, djaun doeniya mê hai. Bichaar kar ke, ki djaun nietchai aur thokaráe hoige hai aadmi ke hak ke, ohi bhi katthor-behwaar pais hai, djaun doeniya bhar ke insaan sab insaan ke mann (bhi) mê òtna ghoesa lail hai, aur ego doeniya aaige hai djaun mê ek aaadmi ke bole ke aur sòche ke aadjádi chaahín, aur dèrai aur djaran mê koi ke na chaahin rehke, ohi rakam ke doeniya, sab aam manai ke khatien, sab se barka samaan hai. Bichaar kar ke, ki kanoen ke maaren aur okar taakat se, insaan ke hak rattchá karwail hai, kaahe ke aadmi hatyachári aur nietchai ke andhiaai ke na uskái. Bichaar kar ke, ki basis hai, dès ke bietch mê soemmat rehke chaahin aur sab dès aapan-aapan sanghat se rehe aur karobaar ke mel-djol ke karen. Bichaar kar ke, ki ‘Verenigde Naties’ ke djanne, okrèn Chitti mê bole hai, ki oke biswaas hai, ohi hak mê, djaun insaan ki djindagi ke khatien djaroerat maane hai, ek aadmi ke iddjat aur kimmat mê aur mard aur meraroe ki barabar hak djaun hai, ohi (biswaas kar ke) bolies hai ki, samaadj ke barháwat, aur djindagi ki oepai aur barka aadjádi mê, aage kari. Bichaar kar ke, ki djaun dès ‘Verenigde Naties’ ke djhoend hai, ohi djabaan dees hai, ki oe sab, ‘Verenigde Naties’ ke saathe, kausis kari, ohoe djaun doeniya mê iddjat sab aadmi ke hak ke chaahín howe ke, aur aadjádi djaun djaroerat hai, barháwe ke. Bichaar kar ke, ki ehi djabaan dewe ke aur sab kare ke khatien, soemmat sè rehke chaahín, ke ehi hak aur aadjádi ka matlab kountji hai.