Paper short abstract:

This paper presents the salient lexicographical and grammatical properties and the cross-cultural issues pertaining to the oldest grammar of Hindustānī written by Joan Josua Ketelaar, based on Bhatia and Machida's (2008 and 2014) analysis of the Dutch manuscript copy of the grammar.

Paper long abstract:

The paper has five objectives: One, to underscore the most recent discoveries in the area of the pioneering heritage of the Hindī grammatical tradition; Two, to identify the most neglected aspect of the Hindī grammatical tradition, namely the grammatical tradition, whose foundation was laid long before the onset of the British tradition; Three, to account for the salient lexicographical and grammatical properties together with the cross-cultural and language acquisition issues pertaining to the oldest grammar of Hindustānī written by Joan Josua Ketelaar, based on Bhatia and Machida's (2008) analysis of the Dutch manuscript copy of the grammar found in the National Archives, The Hague (MS: C-76). Four, to identify the salient features of the three succeeding grammars written by François-Marie de Tours, Benjamin Schultze and Cassino Belligatti; and Five, to attempt to present the model that went into the making of the grammars. The key focus will be the grammar by Ketelaar and its recently discovered variants (e.g. the Utrecht Manuscript among others).

Reference

Bhatia, Tej K & Kazuhiko Machida, 2008. The Oldest Grammar of Hindustānī: Contact, Communication and Colonial Legacy. Vol. 1-3, Tokyo: Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.