Western Hindi languages

Geographical extent

Western Hindi languages are much more widespread and spoken than their Eastern counterpart. Western Hindi languages are spoken in India and Pakistan. In India, it is chiefly spoken in Western Uttar Pradesh, in the Bundelkhand region and the Braj region and in pockets of the Deccan region. In Pakistan, it is spoken by Muhajirs (a multi-origin ethnic group of Pakistan, migrated from various parts of present-day India mostly after the partition). Apart from this, Hindustani forms the lingua franca in a large region in Pakistan and North India (Hindi Belt) and the trade language in Andaman and Arunachal Pradesh. A version of Hindustani heavily influenced by Magadhi, Maithili and Bhojpuri, called Bihari Hindi is spoken in Patna and some other urban areas in Bihar. Another version influenced by Marathi, called Bombay Hindi is spoken in Mumbai and neighbouring urban regions in Maharashtra.