Samuel Henry Kellog & His Contributions to Hindi

Samuel Henry Kellog (1839 to 1899) was an American Presbyterian missionary and a Hindi scholar. Presbyterian refers to Protestant Christian tradition characterised by elected elders'  in church administration. The name Presbyterian comes from the Greek word Presbyteros meaning elders. His contribution to Hindi language is profound and lasting. He played a major role in bringing a system in Hindi grammar. 

Born on September 6, 1939 and graduated from Princeton College in 1861, he studied theology at Princeton Theological seminary. Before receiving doctorate in Divinity he started his missionery work in northern India. He was stationed in Farrukhabad, situated on the banks of Ganges. Later he taught at Allahabad Theological Training Institute. He came here in 1864, Seven years after the Sepoy Mutiny. In fact Farrukhabad played an important role in 1857 Mutiny.  The British government was instrumental in bringing missionaries with a view to strengthen the cause of social and educational support to the public in general. After the 1857 revolt the British government became more attentive to stabilizing their rule, which included supporting missionary activities as a tool for education, social reform, and cultural influence, particularly in northern regions like United Provinces. 

The term "Hindi" as a language name
has a complex historical origin, and attributing it to a single person is tricky. 

The word Hindi comes from the Persian word Hind and its cognate Indos, which in Greek and Roman sources means the land beyond River Sindhu.  In Achaemenid Persian records ( from Darius 1, 6th century BCE ) Hindush referred to northwestern part of Indian subcontinent, particularly the Indus basin roughly modern Sindh and Punjab. Persian speaking people of medieval period used it to describe the language spoken in northern India.  The earliest known use of the term in a literary or linguistic context is often traced to 13th - 14th century Persian sources used the term Hindavi to refer to vernaculars.  Early scholars like Amir Khusro (roughly 13th to 14th century) also referred to the vernaculars as Hindavi.  But the word Hindavi is not restricted to language, as it may mean anything connected with the land of Hind.

Missionaries needed government support to operate in India, especially since British East India Company had been replaced by the crown in 1858.  While Kellog came under the American mission, British authorities facilitated such work, particularly because it aligned with their role of social and educational reform.

After 1857 revolt the British government began to make a more active role in education, partly to consolidate their authority and partly to create a class of Indians who could assist in administration.

Deeply interested in Hindi he authored the landmark "A Grammar of Hindi Language", first published in 1876. This work covering, dialects like Braj, Eastern Hindi, and Pahari became a text for Indian civil services examinations.  After his wife's death in 1876, he returned to North America.  In 1892 he came back to India and settled in Landour[1] in Mussoorie region.

In association with J.A. Lambart and William Hooper, he was engaged in the translation of the Old Testament.
His other works include:-
1. Grammar of Hindi Language.
2. Jews: Prediction and Fulfillment.
3. The Light of Asia and the Light of the World.
4. The Genesis and Growth of Religion 

Samuel Henry Kellogg's contribution to Hindi language is profound and lasting - both as a scholar and linguist.  He played a major role in systematizing Hindi Grammar, standardising its literary form, and translating the Bible into Hindi. 

Hindi is limited to North India, that too, Uttar Pradesh, .Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Haryana, Delhi and parts of Rajasthan.  Beyond this area people speak other Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages.

The term Hindi as we understand today really crystalised in 19th century, although the language existed much early under the name Hindavi and Hindustani.



1. Landour is a cantonment town, 7 km east of Mussoorie bazar, now in Uttarakhand.  Originally built as a convalescent station for British Indian Army. Much of its architecture reflects British colonial past.

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