Summary:
The Hindi Script - called Devanagari - is a beautifully logical writing system. Its phonetic arrangement makes it quite easy to learn, and once you know the basic four dozen (or so) characters, you will be well on your way to reading the signs, posters, notices, street names, signposts and advertisements that are part of the everyday scene in North India.



'Beginner's Hindi Script' introduces Devanagari in the traditional order. The characters are introduced one by one in phonetic groups, steadily building up your ability to read and write. The book also gives you some information on the cultural orientation of the language, explaining where Hindi belongs in the history of Indian languages, and showing where its words come from. There are hints for authentic handwriting skills and plenty of exercises throughout so that you can practise what you've learnt. Examples from real-life signs, notices and advertisements show you the language in context.



The book is intended for beginners who are starting to learn Hindi from scratch, and who need guidance in pronunciation as well as in reading and writing. But it can also be used by those who already know something of the spoken language - perhaps learned from family or from Hindi films - and who wish to add an ability to read and write.



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Be where you want to be with Teach Yourself

• easy and accessible - this step-by-step approach to learning the Hindi script will give you a good grounding for a trip to India or further study of the language
• enjoyable - examples from real-life signs, notices and advertisements show you the language in context
• there are plenty of exercises to help you remember what you have learnt

Table of Contents:
Preface: How to use this book
01 Introducing Devanagari
02 The Devanagari syllabary
03 Consonants
04 Vowels
05 Simple sentences and commands
06 Conjunct consonants
07 Some more writing conventions
08 More about Hindi words and spelling
Appendix 1: Examples of Hindi handwriting
Appendix 2: Minimal pairs
Appendix 3: Reading practice
Appendix 4: Key to the exercises
Appendix 5: The figures explained
Appendix 6: Index of terms
Glossary
Some further reading

About the Author(s):
Rupert Snell is former Reader in Hindi and Chair of Department of the Languages and Cultures of South Asia at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Readership:
Beginners who are starting to learn Hindi from scratch and those who already speak Hindi but would like to know how to read and write it.