| Are you wondering how to learn Hindi? That's not | | | | Well, those are all possible answers to the |
| surprising. More people in the United States are | | | | question of why to do it. But once you have |
| studying Hindi than ever before. Language schools | | | | decided that you want to learn this language, you |
| and software developers are having a hard time | | | | need to think about how to learn Hindi. And |
| keeping up with the demand. And considering the | | | | frankly, opportunities to learn this beautiful and |
| dynamic emergence of India on the global | | | | expressive language are limited in the United |
| economic and political stage, it makes sense that | | | | States. Although US universities saw an increase in |
| there are so many people in the United States | | | | enrollment in Hindi courses of 36% from 2002 to |
| and elsewhere trying to find out how to learn | | | | 2006, there are few universities with complete |
| Hindi. | | | | Hindi programs or majors. |
| Hindi is spoken worldwide by millions of people. It | | | | If you aren't a university student, your choices |
| ranks fourth on the list of languages most | | | | for learning a language generally include |
| commonly spoken; only Mandarin, Spanish and | | | | commercial language schools, a private tutor or |
| English are ahead of it. Hindi and English are the | | | | self-teaching programs. But those alternatives |
| two official languages of India, a country in which | | | | aren't often available to someone trying to find |
| 347 languages are spoken. Hindi is also spoken in | | | | out how to learn Hindi. Commercial language |
| Fiji, Mauritius and Guyana. Urdu is the national | | | | schools offer Hindi typically only in large |
| language of Pakistan and is another language | | | | metropolitan areas, if they offer it at all. There |
| commonly spoken in India. The two languages | | | | are people who speak Hindi as a native or second |
| have so much in common that a Hindi speaker | | | | language who live in the United States and who |
| could also speak and understand colloquial Urdu. | | | | tutor others in the language, but those people are |
| The languages are, however, written in different | | | | not as numerous as tutors of other languages. |
| alphabets. So someone who has learned how to | | | | The easiest way for most people living in the |
| learn Hindi can get around in India, Pakistan and | | | | United States to study Hindi is to embark on |
| elsewhere. | | | | some course of self-study, available either on CD |
| It could be that you are wondering how to learn | | | | or online. |
| Hindi because you want to travel to India or do | | | | There are obvious drawbacks to self-study |
| business with Indian companies. More and more | | | | language programs. For one thing, you don't get |
| people are traveling to India now for business, | | | | feedback from a teacher when you make a |
| given the tremendous growth that the Indian | | | | mistake. For another, the best way to learn a |
| economy is experiencing. Or maybe you want to | | | | language is to practice speaking it. You don't have |
| travel, not for business, but for other reasons, like | | | | that opportunity when studying a language in a |
| spiritual growth or cultural adventure. Or perhaps | | | | self-study program. |
| your interest is interpersonal; a significant other or | | | | Still, whatever your reasons for studying the |
| friend with ties to India has you intrigued with | | | | language, a self-study program, whether on CD or |
| Indian culture and the Hindi language. Or could it be | | | | online, is most likely your best choice if you are |
| that you are a film buff and you want to be able | | | | trying to discover how to learn Hindi. |
| to enjoy Bollywood films? | | | | |