Apabhraṃśa (Sanskrit: अपभ्रंश,IPA: [əpəbʱrə̃ˈɕə], Prakrit:Avahansa) is a cover term used to refer a number of dialects of various Middle Indo-Aryan languages.^[1]:p.42 These dialects were formed during the transition period^[2] of Middle Indo-Aryan languages and Modern Indo-Aryan languages, spanning between the 6th and the 12, 13-15th centuries CE. The term Apabhraṃśa is used by Sanskrit grammarians since Patañjali. Apabhraṃśa in Sanskrit literally means "corrupt" or "non-grammatical language".

Overview[link]

Dialects of various Middle Indo-Aryan languages (including Prakrit languages) gradually transformed into Apabhraṃśa dialects which were used until about the 13-15th century. Apabhraṃśas later evolved into Modern Indo-Aryan languages such as Hindi-Urdu, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Oriya, Punjabi, Konkani and Sinhala. The boundaries of these periods are somewhat hazy, not strictly chronological. The modern northern Indian languages are often considered to have begun to develop a distinct identity around the 11th century, while the Apabhraṃśa dialects were still in use, and became fully distinct by the end of the 12, 13-15th centuries.

A significant amount of Apabhraṃśa literature has been found in Jain libraries. While Amir Khusrow and Kabir were writing in a language quite similar to modern Hindi, many poets, especially in regions that were still ruled by Hindu kings, continued to write in Apabhraṃśa. These authors include Saraha, Tilopa and Kanha of Kamarupa; Devasena of Dhar (9th c. CE); Pushpadanta of Manyakheta (9th c. CE); Dhanapal; Muni Ramsimha; Acharya Hemachandra of Patan; and Raighu of Gwalior (15th c. CE). An early example of the use of Apabhraṃśa is in Vikramorvashiyam of Kālidāsa, when Pururava asks the animals in the forest about his beloved who had disappeared.

Notes[link]

1. ^ Shastri, Dr Devendra Kumar (1996). Apabhramsha Bhasha Sahitya Ki Shodh Pravritiyan. New Delhi: Bhartiya Jnanpith. Bhartiya Jnanpith Bhartiya Jnanpith.. pp. 388. 
2. ^ Shapiro, Hindi

References[link]

• Shapiro, Michael C. Hindi. Facts about the world's languages: An encyclopedia of the world's major languages, past and present. Ed. Jane Garry, and Carl Rubino: New England Publishing Associates, 2001.

See also[link]

• Hindavi
• History of Hindustani

External links[link]

• Dr. Devendra Kumar Shastri
• Hindi: The language of songs
• Apabhrangsha