Influence of Foreign Languages on Indian Languages

English has been the official language of India since the British Raj and has had a profound impact on the vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation of many Indian languages.

Borrowing is the process by which a word or phrase from one language is adopted into another language.

Hindi has borrowed more words from English than any other Indian language, due to its status as the official language of India and its widespread use in education, media, and government.

A cognate is a word that has the same meaning in two or more languages because it is derived from a common ancestor.

Persian has had a profound influence on the development of Urdu, particularly in terms of its vocabulary and grammar.

A calque is a word or phrase that is borrowed from one language and then translated into another language, often word-for-word.

Urdu has borrowed more words from Persian than any other Indian language, due to its historical and cultural ties to Persia.

A false friend is a word that is used in two or more languages but has different meanings in each language.

Sanskrit has had a profound influence on the development of Bengali, particularly in terms of its vocabulary and grammar.

A loanword is a word that is borrowed from one language and then adapted to the phonology and grammar of another language.

Bengali has borrowed more words from Sanskrit than any other Indian language, due to its historical and cultural ties to the Sanskrit-speaking regions of India.

A blend is a word that is created by combining elements from two or more languages.

Sanskrit has had a profound influence on the development of Marathi, particularly in terms of its vocabulary and grammar.

A loanword is a word that is borrowed from one language and then used in another language without any changes.

Urdu has borrowed more words from Arabic than any other Indian language, due to its historical and cultural ties to the Arabic-speaking regions of the Middle East.