Draft:Begamati language

Begamati language
Women's dialect
Native to	India
Region	Delhi, Lucknow
Ethnicity	Delhiite, Lucknowite women
Extinct	Yes
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Central Indo-Aryan Western Hindi Hindustani Urdu Begamati language
Writing system	Urdu alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–

Begamati language a dialect of Urdu once spoken by the noblewomen (begums) residing in royal forts and palaces. Characterized by its refined tone, distinctive idioms, and elegant expressions, it was considered a marker of aristocratic culture. Following the political turmoil and social transformations in Delhi, Begamati gradually extended beyond the royal domains and became prevalent in the streets and marketplaces of Old Delhi. It was eventually adopted by upper-class women in their daily conversations.

Begamati Zabān was also spoken in Lucknow. Rais Ahmad Jafri writes "The Begamati language of Lucknow is renowned for its sweetness and charm. Naturally, such a refined and polished language could only be found within the royal palaces. The letters written by the begums of Wajid Ali Shah are among the finest examples of this elevated form of Urdu."

History

Indian women, traditionally, observed strict purdah (seclusion), and this practice was a key factor in creating a linguistic distinction between standard Urdu and Begamati Urdu. The language of the begums clearly reflected their confined social environment. In the early periods, many of them were unfamiliar with formal grammar, as their lives were spent within a highly restricted domestic sphere. Their speech remained limited to the boundaries of forts and mansions, shielded from external influences, particularly those of the male world. In North India, the begums of the Qila-e-Mualla (Imperial Fort) enforced strict rules of seclusion upon their daughters, to the extent that they were protected even from the shadows of unrelated men. Royal residences included women's quarters (zanana), where the women spent every moment of their lives. All social rituals like weddings, funerals, and other ceremonies were conducted within these enclosures. Young unmarried girls were even veiled from elder women outside their immediate family, in order to preserve their reputations. As the saying goes: "A palanquin came from her parental home, and another left from her husband's home," implying that a girl lived in seclusion all her life. These cultural and social factors contributed to the development of a distinct variety of Urdu spoken by the begums, linguistically distant from the formal standard language. 

Decline

The gradual disappearance of Begamati Urdu was already being observed as early as 1976. In his book Dilli ki Begamati Zaban, Muhiuddin Hasan noted that although the dialect had not yet vanished entirely, the distinctions that once defined it were rapidly fading. According to him, the original residents of the Qila-e-Mualla (Imperial Fort), who were the true custodians of this speech, had gradually migrated, while people from other regions began settling in Delhi. The social custom of purdah, once integral to the lives of the begums, also declined with time. As a result, the unique features of Begamati language began to erode, with increasing influence from Punjabi accents in local speech.

Sania, a researcher at Jamia Millia Islamia, further explains that social reformers such as Deputy Nazir Ahmad and Altaf Hussain Hali regarded the language as inappropriate or unrefined, which contributed to its decline. She adds "With the spread of girls’ education, the languages spoken in schools gradually replaced Begamati language. Even so, traces of Begamati language still survive in everyday conversation particularly in idioms related to the kitchen and women’s domestic lives."