To date, Hindi is the second most popular and widely spoken language worldwide. It follows Mandarin. This is because many speakers of Hindi are scattered all around the world. From India, the use of the language has spread. In fact, Hindi is currently one of the most preferred and prioritized foreign languages in the United States. The reason could be because India is fast becoming an important business and career market. Many migrants from India also speak and write Hindi more than English, so to be able to communicate with these people, many businesses intend to employ professionals who could speak and write the language. Thus, many Americans now strive to learn Hindi.
The US is clearly bracing Hindi as an important language. There are many evidences that could serve as proof of this assertion. Aside from many language study centers and programs that offer teaching of Hindi as a foreign language in some states, here are three more evidences that indicate how Hindi currently is regarded as highly important by the Americans.
The 8th World Hindi Conference
Every year, proponents and supporters of the spread of Hindi meet to identify and deliberate important issues that relate to growth and presence of the Indian language across the world. Every year, a World Hindi Conference is held in a select key global city that welcomes the opportunity to sponsor the event.
In July 2007, the 8th World Hindi Conference was staged in New York. The event was organized by the New York City government in cooperation with the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. The conference discussed the spreading use of the language in many foreign countries, including the US. It also highlighted how Hindi is widely used in the information technology sector and other key industries worldwide.
Hindi classes at Cameron University
Cameron University is one of the top universities in the US. That is why its decision to offer Hindi language classes in 2008 was very significant. The effort could pave the way for other American universities to follow suit. Representatives of the university said the Hindi classes tend to recognize Hindi as an important player in the evolving global economy. Cameron University highlighted the importance and usefulness of the language in communications across global business and finance.
The initiative was also prompted by the fact that there are up to 5,000 Indians who currently live in Oklahoma. Most second- and third-generation Indian families in the state could only speak English. Helping them learn Hindi could help them discover more about their ancestors and their native culture.
Edison schools offer Hindi classes
For the past several years, many Texas primary and secondary schools have been offering Hindi classes as electives for grades nine to 12 students. This initiative is being followed by Edison schools. A federal government grant has been awarded to the schools to help introduce and implement Hindi language programs in childrens and teens curriculums starting 2008. It is expected that additional grants in form of cash support would be provided to the schools for the continuous implementation of the program. Thus, many Americans and Indians could start opting to learn Hindi early in life.