Hello! I'm a linguist specializing in the historical development of South Asian languages, particularly Hindi. You've posed an interesting and complex question: "When did the Hindi language born?" Let's dive into the fascinating history of Hindi to understand its evolution.

To say a language was "born" on a specific date is a bit of a misnomer. Languages evolve gradually, influenced by social, political, and geographical factors. Hindi, as we know it today, is no exception.

Here's a breakdown of the key stages in Hindi's development:

**1. Proto-Indo-European (PIE) Roots (circa 3000-2000 BCE):** Linguists trace the ancestry of Hindi, along with many European and Asian languages, back to a hypothetical language called Proto-Indo-European (PIE). While no written records of PIE exist, scholars have reconstructed elements of this ancient tongue through comparative analysis of its descendants.

**2. Sanskrit: The Classical Foundation (circa 1500 BCE onwards):** Sanskrit, a classical language of India, is a direct descendant of PIE. Considered sacred within Hinduism, Sanskrit emerged as a standardized liturgical and literary language, leaving behind a vast corpus of texts, including the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the epic poems like the Mahabharata and Ramayana. While Sanskrit's evolution as a spoken language followed its own trajectory, it had a profound and lasting impact on the development of Hindi and other Indo-Aryan languages.

**3. Prakrits: The Vernacular Offshoots (circa 600 BCE onwards):** Alongside Sanskrit, a variety of vernacular languages known as Prakrits emerged. These languages, derived from Sanskrit and influenced by regional variations, became the common tongue of people in different parts of the Indian subcontinent. One such Prakrit, known as Shauraseni Prakrit, spoken in the central Indo-Aryan region, forms the direct linguistic ancestor of Hindi.

**4. Apabhramsha: The Transitional Phase (circa 600-1200 CE):** Between the decline of Prakrits and the emergence of modern Indo-Aryan languages, a transitional phase arose marked by languages called "Apabhramshas," literally meaning "corrupt" or "divergent" forms. Shauraseni Apabhramsha served as the bridge between Shauraseni Prakrit and early forms of Hindi.

**5. Emergence of Early Hindi (circa 10th-12th centuries CE):** In the 10th and 11th centuries, literary works began to appear in a language recognizable as an early form of Hindi. These works, often religious in nature, drew inspiration from older traditions while incorporating elements of the evolving vernacular. The poet Amir Khusrau (1253-1325), writing in a courtly context, used a language known as "Hindavi," considered a precursor to modern Hindi.

**6. Standardization and Modern Hindi (19th-20th centuries):** During the British colonial period, the need for a standardized administrative and educational language led to efforts to codify Hindi. Drawing heavily from the Khari Boli dialect spoken in the Delhi region, linguists and scholars shaped what we now know as Modern Standard Hindi. The adoption of the Devanagari script and the incorporation of vocabulary from Sanskrit enriched the language further.

In conclusion, pinpointing an exact "birth date" for Hindi is impossible. Its evolution has been a gradual process of transformation spanning millennia, with influences from Sanskrit, Prakrits, and various regional dialects. We can say with confidence that by the 10th-12th centuries CE, distinct precursors of modern Hindi had emerged, laying the foundation for the language spoken by millions today.
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The largest native speakers in this group belongs to Hindustani (Standard Hindi and Urdu), Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi , Gujarati, Oriya, Sindhi, Nepali, Sinhala etc. In Indo-Aryan language group, the oldest language is Vedic Sanskrit (1500 BC �C 800 BC).read more >>