A Guide to Urdu - Why learn Urdu?
Why learn Urdu?
It is a living language spoken by 490 million people around the world.
The Urdu community in the UK numbers about one million speakers.
It is not just a practical language spoken on a daily basis, but one that produced great scholarships and poetry.
Learning Urdu will also help you recognise words in Arabic and Persian since many words are common in all three languages.
People will respect the fact that you make an effort to speak to them in their language, whether abroad or in the UK.
Steps to learn Urdu
Audio books and cassettes are readily available to practise in your own free time.
[Such as Blackwell's, Grant and Cutler and The European Bookshop.]
Many newspapers in Urdu have easy reading options and have more help on their website.
Listen to Urdu songs for relaxation, they will help you get used to Urdu sounds. Available in records shops.
Try and get hold of Urdu films on VHS or DVD that have English subtitles. Available in major video stores.
See the section on Urdu links.
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© 2012