Asian Studies | College of Liberal Arts
skip to content The University of Texas at Austin

Hindi

College of Liberal Arts

Learn Hindi at UT Austin

Hindi is one of the two official languages and major lingua franca of India. Together with its sister languages like Urdu, Hindi is the fourth largest spoken language of the world. Embracing vocabulary from Sanskrit, Urdu, and many Indian vernaculars as well as European languages, Hindi exhibits the linguistic vibrancy of India. Although modern Hindi is multifaceted, its rich literary history goes back almost seven hundred years. Hindi is also the language of the thriving film industry and a medium of popular culture in India.

First-Year Hindi courses introduce the Devanagari Script, communicative grammar, and vocabulary in a learner-centered approach. Students who come with some background in Hindi and Indian culture can take the Accelerated First-Year Hindi course. The Second-Year Hindi courses build on previously acquired language skills by exposing students to various kinds of media. The topic-based advanced level Hindi courses introduce students to modern as well as classical Hindi literature.

The special curriculum of the Hindi Urdu Flagship may be viewed here.

Learn More About Hindi Classes Below

______________________________________________________________________________

HIN 506 (Fall), HIN 507 (Spring), First-Year Hindi

These 5-hour courses are designed for beginners who have no previous knowledge of Hindi or its script. Students who successfully complete HIN 507 may proceed to the second-year sequence HIN 312K and 312L, described below. 

HIN 604  (Fall) + HIN 612 (Spring), Accelerated  First-Year Hindi 

These 6-hour courses are designed for students with a background in spoken Hindi; literacy skills are not a prerequisite, and will be taught in the classes. Students who can already follow and take part in a  simple Hindi conversation belong in this course sequence, and not in HIN 506-507.  Students who successfully complete HIN 612 may proceed to HIN 330 courses; they may not proceed to HIN 312KL-HIN 312L.

Students who are unsure about whether they belong in the HIN 506/507 or HIN 604/612 track should consult Professor Gautami Shah (gshah@austin.utexas.edu) for appropriate placement.

HIN 118  (Normally Fall), Practice in Spoken Hindi

This mid-intermediate level, one-credit course meets for two hours. It is typically taken in parallel with HIN 604 or HIN 312K, but may also be taken independently.

HIN 312K  (Fall) + HIN 312L (Spring), Second-Year Hindi

This high-intermediate level course is for students who have successfully completed the HIN 506-507 sequence, or who can demonstrate equivalent knowledge (including literacy).  It prepares students for the study of literature in the various HIN 330 courses shown below.

HIN 330/384 Courses (the 384 variant is for graduate students, and has augmented coursework).

Various different 3-hour courses exist under this heading; they may be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Consult the course catalogue for availability.  Two examples are:

  • HIN 330/384: Style & Register in Hindi — a course in all four of the language skills, based on the study and emulation of Hindi styles in a wide range of written texts and other media.
  • HIN 330/384: Autobiography in Hindi — reading and Hindi-medium discussion of extensive selections from autobiographical writing.
Menu