My family are Pakistani, but I never learned Urdu as a child. I'd like to learn a little, primarily as a means of keeping this part of my heritage alive. However, the pragmatist in me realizes that Hindi is a far more useful language (number of speakers, more advanced economy) and that Hindi will likely be easier to learn due to the volume of e.g. Bollywood, Rosetta Stone, etc available. I know the two languages are similar, and I already can read Arabic script, so:
- How do Hindi and Urdu actually differ? Is the relationship between the (spoken) languages more like the relationship between Glaswegian English and American English or Spanish and Portuguese?
- Are their grammatical forms exactly the same?
- Do they differ in terms of pronunciation?
- Do they differ in terms of vocabulary?
- If I hire a Hindi teacher, would a Pakistani be able to tell I was learning Hindi? Would I be able to make myself understood if I were talking to my (urdu speaking) grandparents?
Thanks!