Urdu in Devanagari: Shifting orthographic practices and Muslim identity in Delhi RIZWAN AHMAD Qatar University P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar rizwan.ahmad@qu.edu.qa ABSTRACT In sociolinguistics, Urdu and Hindi are considered to be textbook examples of digraphia—a linguistic situation in which varieties of the same language are written in different scripts. Urdu has traditionally been written in the Arabic script, whereas Hindi is written in Devanagari. Analyzing the recent orthographic practice of writing Urdu in Devanagari, this article chal- lenges the traditional ideology that the choice of script is crucial in differen- tiating Urdu and Hindi. Based on written data, interviews, and ethnographic observations, I show that Muslims no longer view the Arabic script as a necessary element of Urdu, nor do they see Devanagari as completely anti- thetical to their identity. I demonstrate that using the strategies of phonetic and orthographic transliteration, Muslims are making Urdu-in-Devanagari different from Hindi, although the difference is much more subtle. My data further shows that the very structure of a writing system is in part socially constituted. (Script-change, Urdu, Urdu-in-Devanagari, Hindi, Arabic script, Devanagari, orthography, transliteration)* INTRODUCTION In the sociolinguistics literature, Urdu and Hindi are considered to be quintessential examples of digraphia—a linguistic situation in which varieties of the same language are written using different writing systems. In ordinary conversational registers, Urdu and Hindi are largely mutually intelligible. Therefore, it is the choice of script that plays a crucial role in making them distinct. Urdu has tradition- ally been written in the Arabic script, whereas Hindi is written in Devanagari. So- cially, the digraphic situation is related to the religious identities of Muslims and Hindus and their social desire for linguistic differentiation. Scholars argue that the Arabic script, because of its association with the Holy Quran, symbolizes Muslim identity, whereas Devanagari, because of its relationship with Hindu scrip- tures written in Sanskrit, represents Hindu identity (e.g. Kelkar 1968; Dale 1980; C. R. King 1994; R. D. King 2001). Analyzing the recent orthographic practices of writing Urdu in Devanagari (hen- ceforth also Ur-Nag), this article challenges the traditional ideology that the choice © Cambridge University Press, 2011 0047-4045/11 $15.00 259 Language in Society 40, 259–284. doi:10.1017/S0047404511000182