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India Study Abroad Research Tutorial

Introduction  |   Getting to Know India  |   Conducting Research in India   |   Accessing UNC's Resources Abroad  

Languages

The citizens of India speak over 400 languages. This page highlights resources relating to languages that students will likely encounter during UNC's study abroad programs.

While English is widely spoken across India, learning at least the basics of a local language will help you in your travels. You will be able to read signs on your own, and create ties with people through their own language. Make sure you research which languages are likely to be spoken in the places you will study. Here are the most common languages spoken in the locations of UNC's current programs:

Dictionaries
UNC-Chapel Hill's libraries have many foreign-language dictionaries. Some are for use only inside the libraries, but others are available for borrowing. Try one of the dictionaries below, or search the UNC-Chapel Hill Library Catalog for more options.

Hindi

Bhargava's Standard Illustrated Dictionary of the Hindi Language: Hindi-English Edition. Ed. R. C. Pathak. Chowk, India: Bhargava Book Depot, 1978.
Davis Library PK1936 .P3 1978

Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary. Ed. R. S. McGregor. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Undergraduate Library Reference PK1936 .M34 1997

Tibetan

Conversational English-Tibetan Dictionary. Ed. Anil Gupta. Delhi, India: Sri Satguru Publications, 1992.
Davis Library PL3637.E5 G87 1992

The New Tibetan-English Dictionary of Modern Tibetan. Ed. Melvyn C. Goldstein et al. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2001.
Davis Library Reference PL3637.E5 N48 200

Urdu

English-Urdu Dictionary.Ed. Abdul Haq. New Delhi, India: Star Publications, 1993.
Davis Library PK1976 .A238 1993

Courses at UNC
UNC-Chapel Hill currently offers courses in Hindi-Urdu (the languages are often combined when spoken) and Tamil. Other South Asian languages are occasionally offered. Look through the UNC-Chapel Hill Registrar's course listings to find out when these courses will be offered next.

Audio Materials
The Media Resource Center's LinguaSearch can help you find language-learning materials in several South Asian languages. They currently have audio tapes or CDs in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Urdu.

Find a Friend!
Speaking or corresponding with a friend is a great way to practice a new language. You can find friends to exchange emails with at Polyglot's language exchange program.

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