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aryavart , " vajradhari " <vajradhari wrote:

 

The Indo-Aryan (`Arya') family of languages is one of the major

language families of the world. These languages are direct

descendants of Sanskrit. They all utilize the Devanagari script.

--

 

 

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The basic section ends here. The advanced section. with references is

below.

 

-

 

 

 

Table of Contents

1. Indo-Aryan Languages

1.1 Languages of the Group

1.2 History and Origins of Indo-Aryan Languages

Sanskrt stage (1500 BC - 900 BC ) or Old Indo-Aryan

Bibhasa stage ( - 700 BC ) or Middle Indo-Aryan

Prakrit stage ( 700 BC - present ) or New Indo-Aryan

1.3 Linguistic Characteristics

Vocabulary

Grammar

Writing System

2. Madhyi Prakrits ( Central Indo-Aryan Languages )

History and Development

Linguistic Characterisitcs

3. Deccani Prakrits ( Southern Indo-Aryan Languages )

Languages of the family - incl Andhri

Historical Development

Linguistic features

4. Purbi Prakrits ( East Indo-Aryan Languages )

Historcal Survey / Origin and History

Characteristics

1. Indo-Aryan Languages

Languages of the Group

The various Indo-Aryan languages are classed into 3 chronological

categories:

Ancient/Old Indo-Aryan languages Sanskrit -

Intermediate Indo-Aryan languages or Bibhasas - This family comprises

Uttari ( Northern ) Bibhasa, Madhyi ( Central ) Bibhasa and Dakshini

( Southern ) Bibhasa.

Modern Indo-Aryan languages or Prakrits - These comprise most of the

modern languages of India

Of these, the languages in the first two categories are extinct (

dead ), while Sanskrit has been preserved as the sacred language of

the Vedas and other sciptures sacred to the Aryan Vishnuite religion.

 

The Prakrits are in turn divided into geographical categories :

 

Madhyi Prakrits or Central Indo-Aryan or Aryavartan languages

Purbi Prakrits or Eastern Indo-Aryan languages

Deccani Prakrits or Southern Aryan languages

 

A further category, the Uttari Prakrits, is extinct.

 

These in turn have earlier and later stages; thus for instance, Old

Oriya is known as Odri, Old Marathi as Maharashtri, Old Gujarati as

Saurashtri etc. These Old Prakrits are still intelligible to a modern

Aryan speaker in the smae manner as Old Anglo-Saxon is still

intelligible to a modern Englishman.

 

Linguistic Characterisitics of the Indo-Aryan Languages

Grammar - The grammar of these languages closely follows Sanskrit.

Most possess 8 grammatical cases like Sanskrit.

 

Writing Systems - THe writing system is Devanagari, the script for

Sanskrit.

 

Vocabulary - The overwhelming majority of words are obtained from

Sanskrit. The fraction in general exceeds 80 %, often reaching 90 %.

 

History and Developement

The Bibhasa stage is elucidated here:

The Brahmana texts mention that by 700 BC the following languages had

evolved from Aryan:

1. Udicya or Northern in NW Pujab

2. Madhyadesiya eastern punjab and West UP

3. Pracya or Eastern Oudh eastern UP Bihar and probably a fourth

4. Daksinatyi or Southern: Southern Rajputana and Malwa towards

Deccan.

These developed into Prakrits by the first millenium AD. Prakrits and

Apabrahmsas include Avanti (Malwa), Takki (NPunjab) Kekaya (W

Punjab), Vracada (Sind), Gaudi (N.Bengal), Audri (Orissa) etc. [ CHI

Vol I p.57 ]

 

The term Romance Latin is derived from the medieaval term `Latin

Romaniscus' which was used to denote a vernacular type of Latin

speech and literature in the vernacular [EB 22 'Langs of the World'

640 ] . It is from these that the independant languages of Southern

Europe are derived. A comparison of the family tree of the Sanskritic

languages with the Romance languages is :

 

Thus the Bibhasa play the same role as the Romance Latin dialects in

Europe. Just as very little literature was produced in Romance Latin,

so little was produced in the Bibhasas. Both are merely intermediate

steps in the process of mother language to national language.

----

----------

 

Aryavartan or Central Indo-Aryan languages

Languages of the family

These languages of this category are considered the `purest'

descendants of Sanskrit, being spoken in Aryavarta, the `pure land of

the Aryans', also known as Aryadesha or Madhyadesha. Generally

included as separate languages in this family are Braj Bhasa,

Kannauji, Ayodhyi, Khari Boli, Bundeli, Bagheli, Bhojpuri.

Historical Development

The languages of this family are descended from Sanskrit via the

intermediate Madhyi ( or Madhyadeshi ) Bibhasa. Around approximately

700 BC this bibhasa began to break into various Prakrits: Braj Bhasa

and Koshali. Koshali rapidly broke up into Uttar Koshali, soon known

as Ayodhyi, and Dakshin Koshali. Subsequently, Kannauji branched off

from Ayodhyi around 300 A.D., as did Bhojpuri and Bagheli somewhat

later. Meanwhile, Khari Boli and Bundeli branched off from Braj

Bhasa. Khari Boli consists some loanwords from Islamicate languages (

Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hindustani ), while Bundeli borrowed

from Adivasi Dravidian languages. Braj Bhasa, however, remained pure

of any such outside influence. Hsuan Tsang referred to the Kingdom of

Mathura as extending from the Ganges on the east to the Himalayas on

the north. Thus the kingdom of Braj at this time included the region

of Haryana, and it is likely that this indicates Khari Boli had not

yet evolved, and that the prime cause for the evolution of Khari Boli

from Braj is the impact of Islam. Apabrahmsha - One of the errors

made by many eminent schloars, including the compilers of the

Encyclopedia Britannica [ EB ], is to include Apabrahmsha as a

separate family of languages. This is incorrect. Apabrahmsha is

merely a Prakrit known as Abhiri. It did not develop in the 12th

century, as they state, but existed much earlier [ Apabr ].

 

 

 

 

Linguistic Characteristics

Vocabulary. These languages are generally considered the purest

descendants of Sanskrit, ie. their vocabulary contains the highest

proportion of Sanskrit vocabulary of all Aryan languages; whilst the

Adivasi ( Aboriginal ) influence on these languages is least. Hence

most of these languages contain 70 - 80 % Sanskrit vocabulary [ Vira

24 ]. Only Khari Boli contains 20 % words of Islamicate origin [ Alld

Chmbrs ].

Grammar. Grammatically the languages of Aryadesha are based on

Sanskrit to a great extent. They all possess 8 cases, like Sanskrit.

Writing Systems. The writing system for all these languages is the

Aryan Devanagari script. No other script is utilized for any these

languages.

 

Southern Indo-Aryan Languages

Languages of the family

Marathi and Vidarbhi are the languages directly derived from the

Deccani Vibhasa with minimal external influences. Old Gujarati was

known as Sauraseni, and was later displaced by Gujjari ( Khazari or

Middle Gujarati ). Later this language was Sanskritized to become

Gujarati ( Modern Gujarati ).

 

Andhri is included in this family, and not the Dravidian family for

the following reasons :

 

Andhri contains a much higher percentage of Sanskrit loans than the

other Dravidian languages.

Andhras follow the Aryan Vaishnavite religion ( cf. the Tirupati

temple ), in contrast to the Dravidians, who are Shaivite.

Anthropological surveys indicate that the Andhras are preponderantly

mulatto ( mixed white Aryan and black Dravidian ). It thus would be

natural to consider Andhri to be a creole which was gradually

Sanskritized.

 

Linguistic Characteristics

Writing Systems - The purest Sanskrit derivative of this family,

Marathi, utilizes the Devanagari script. Gujarati uses a cursive

derivative, while Andhri uses a Brahmi-based script with heavy

Dravidian influence.

 

Vocabulary - Marathi has the highest proportion of Sanskrit loanwords

of both tatsam and tatbhava derivation, exceeding 90 % in the case of

Shuudh Marathi. Vidarbhi also contains loans to the tune of 90 % of

hte language. These were the two regions most easily accessible to

Aryan imigration form the north. Gujarati contains a lower proportion

of Sanskrit loans. Literary Andhri contains more than 70 % Sanskrit

lonas, but here the dichotomy between the cultured language ( spoken

by the high-caste Aryans ) and the colloquial tongue ( spoken by the

Dravidians ) is more apparent then in the other languages.

 

Historical Development

These tongues are descended from the Deccan or Dakshinatyi Bibhasa,

which is in turn derived from Sanskrit. Initially a non-Aryan land,

the Deccan experienced heavy Aryan immigration even before 500 BC.

Subsequent to Islamic invasions in the north, the Deccan became the

Eastern Indo-Aryan Languages

Historical Survey

The Eastern Indo-Aryan, or Purbi languages, are descended from

Sanskrit via the intermediate Purbi or Pracyi Bibhasa. Each of these

languages has Older and Later stages. Old Bengali = Vangi or Gaudi

Old Oriya = Odri

 

Linguistic Characteristics

Vocabulary. The vocabulary of the Purbi or Eastern Indo-Aryan

Languages is, as with all languages of the Indo-Aryan family, heavily

based on Sanskrit. However, they are less Senskrit-nased than the

Midland Indo-Aryan languages, containing a larger fraction of Mon-

Khmer words. Vocabulary from Islamicate languages ( Arabic, Perisna,

Turkish and Hindustani ) represent only a small part of the Purbi

language, while Kolarian ( Indo-Austric ) or Dravidian words are more

common in Oriya, while Mon-Khmer words are more abundant in Assamese.

Thus, Bengali is approximatley 75 % Sanskrit, with 2 % words of an

Islamic derivation [ Chatterji p.256 ]. 70 % of Oriya vocabulary is

of Sanskrit origin, the remaining 30 % comprising Kolarian ( or Indo-

Austric ) and Dravidian loanwords [ Oriya Lit p.2 ], with words from

Islamicate languages ( Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hindustani )

comprising only 2 % [ CHC Orissa II : 1, p.15 ].

 

Bengali

Bengali is in essence a form of the Prakrit Vangi or Gaudi. The Indo-

Mongoloid element (Naga) is predominant in langauge as well as

religion (Saktism) and physical type and most of the substratum of

colloquial Bengali is of Mon-Khmer origin. However, the polished

language (Sadhu Basha) is as heavily Sanskritised as any other Aryan

language. Only 2% of Bengali vocabulary is Persian/Arabic/Hindustani.

Oriya

Oriya is essentially a modified form of the Odri Prakrit. This

Prakrit is in turn derived from Sanskrit via the transitional

Bibhasas. Modern Oriya vocabulary is 70% Sanskrit, 2%

Hindustani/Persian/Arabic with the remaining 28% of mainly Australoid

( " Adivasi " ) origin [oriya]. The history of Oriya consists of the

following stages:

Kalingan Austric Language : The original inhabitants of Orissa were

the black Austric aboriginals who spoke referred to their kingdom as

`Kalinga' and spoke a now extinct language known as Kalingan. It was

similar to the Austric languages still spoken in the East Ghats

hills.

Odri Prakrit or Old Oriya

A steady stream of immigraton of Indo-Aryan Vaishnava Oriyas started

occurring around the 8th century AD. The Oriya worldview was

diametrically opposite to that of the Kalingans: The Kalingans were

black-skinned aboriginal Australoids, the Oriyas were fair-skinned

Indo-Aryans; the Kanlingans were Saivite, the Oriyas Vasihanva; the

Kalingans were licentious, the Oriyas extremely modest. Hence the

rulers of Kalinga did not encourage Oriya language or literature.

Classical Oriya or Middle Oriya With the ascent of the Surya Maharaja

Kapilendradeva the Austric ( " Adivasi " ) empire of Kalinga ended and

the Indo-Aryan empire of Orissa began. The Oriya language became the

official

Assamese

Kamrup was the region located along the Brahmaputra River valley and

was a powerful kingdom. Its language, Kamrupi was derived from

Prakrit by way of Purvi (or Eastern) Bibhasa. After the Ahoms took

over the country, the language changed due to ever-increasing Mon-

Khmer influence and became known as Assamese. Indeed, `Assam' is

known as `Axom' in Assamese, and Assamese is essentially Ahomese. The

colloquial dialects bear a very large substratum of Ahom words.

Standard Assamese contains more Sanskrit than the local dialects.

However, the ancient Kamrupi survives as a dialect of Assamese. The

Kamrupi dialect of Assamese is quite similar to North Bengali. This

is due to this regoin having been part of the ancient Kamrup empire.

Phonology Grammar

 

Apabrahmnsa

 

----

----------

 

Refernces

[Kavya] = `Indian Kavya Literature' - AKWarder Motilal Banarsidas 2

ed 1989 New Delhi Vol.I

[Oriya Lit] = ` An Approach to Oriya Literature (A Historical

Survey) ' - JBMohanty Panchashila BBSR-9, 1988

[JKSamal ] = ` Comprehensive History and Culture of Orissa' ed

JKSamal, Kaveri Books 1997 New Delhi, 2 vols, 2 parts each

[CHI] = Cutural History of India, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of

culture Calcutta 1 ed 1937 Vol. I `Linguistic Survey of India:

Languages and Scripts' - SKChatterji p.53-75

[Chatterji] = ` Indo-Aryan and Hindi ' - S.K.Chatterji, Firma

K.L.Mukhopadhyay Calcutta-12 2nd ed. April 1960

[Apabr] = ` Historical Grammar of Apabhramsa' - GVTagare, Motilal

Banarisdas 1 ed 1948 Delhi

[Vira] = `A Comprehensive English-Hindi Dictionary of Government and

Educational Words and Phrases' - Prof. Dr. R. Vira June 1981 Intl

Academy of Indian Culture

[Manorama] = `Manorama Yearbook', Malayala Manorama 1997, Kottayam

Kerala

 

Keywords

 

Rajastan languages: Bagri,Bhoyari,Gade

Lohar,Gujari,Harauti,lamani,Malvi / Malwi /Malawi/Malavi Nimadi,

Sondwari, Marwari/Maru/Marui ( Ajmeri Dhatki,Northern,Southern )

Mewati Western Hindi: Bundeli, Hindustani, Hindi,Urdu, Braj Bhasa/

Braj Bhasha, /Braj Bhakha/Bhakhta/Bhakhtha, Chamari, Gowli,

Haryanvi/Haryani,Fijian, Kanauji,Sansi (Pak) East Central:

Awadhi/Avadhi, Bagheli, Baiga, Binjhwari, Chhattisgarhi/

Chattisgarhi/Chatisgarhi, Dhanwar, Ojhi Bhili, Dom/Domari, Gujarati:

Koli, Saurashtra, Vasavi, Gujrati Khandeshi/Khandesi Punjabi: Majhi

Eastern : Bengali,Chakma,Hajong,Halbi,Kawari,Kayori,Kharia Thar,

Kishanganjia,Koch,Mal Paharia,Mirgan, Nahari, Rajbansi, Sylheti,

Tangchangya Bihari:

Anga,Bhojpuri,Gawari,Magahi,Maithili/Mithili,Majhi,Musasa,

Sadri,Tamaria Oriya: Bagata, Bhatri, Bhuiya/Bhunjia, Bodo Parji,

Jagannathi, Jharia,Kupia,Mali, Adivasi Oriya/Odishi/Odissi Northern

Zone - Western Pahari: Bhadrawahi, Bhattiyali, Bilaspuri, Chambeali,

Churahi,Dogri-Kangri,Gaddi,Jaunsari,Mandeali,Kullu Pahari,Mahasu

Pahari Potwari Pahari, Pangi - Eastern pahari: Nepali -

Garhwali:Garhwali,Tehri - Kumaoni - Unclassified: Palpa Southern

Zone: - Konkani: Katkari,Thakuri - Unclassified: Varhadi-Nagpuri,

Gowlan, Deccan. Bhalay, Are Southern : Marathi Kanjari Pali Vaghri

Dhanwari Dravidian:

Telugu/Telugu/Andhra/Gentoo/Tailangi/Telangire/Telgi/Tengu/Terangi/

Tolangan Dialects: Telangana,Telugu,Rayalaseema,Konda-Reddy etc.

Malayalam Dialects: Malabar, Moplah,South Kerala, n,c Kerala,

namboodiri Mayar Kannada Dialects: Jeinu Kuruba, Aine Kuruba,

Bijapur, Badaga Tamil/Tamalsan/Tambul/Tamal/Tambu/Damulian/Tamili

Dialects: Adi Dravida, Aiyar, Aiyangar, Arava, Burgandi, Kasuva,

Kongar, Korava, Korchi, Madrasi, Parikala, Pattapu Bhasha, Tigalu,

Harijan, Mandyam Brahmin

Middle Indo-Aryan languages " Madhyadesi " Braj Bhasa, Kannauji,

Marwari,

Eastern Indo-Aryan " Pracyi or Purbi " languages: Bengali, Oriya,

Assamese,

Indo-Scythian " Saka " languages Gujarati, Malavi, Gurjari,

Ahiri/Ahirwadi

" Daksini or Daksinatyi " languages: Andhri, Kerali, Kannada,

---- Refs. ( no need of for appencdix ) The history of the Indo-Aryan

languages can be summarized as follows:

Sanskritic Stage: During this period the Aryan invaders spoke

Sanskrit.

 

Bibhasa Stage: With the passage of time and the dispersal of the

Aryans over large parts of the continent that lacked means of mutual

communication, local dialects of Sanskrit developed. These local

dialects are referred to as Bibhasas. Influence of the pre-Aryan

languages ( Dravidian, Mon-Khmer, Austric ) also played a role in the

development of these tongues.

 

Prakrit Stage: With the gradual emergence of Aryan nations, the

Bibhasas further developed into national languages, the Prakrits. A

Prakrit was defined as any regional language that was derived from

Sanskrit via the intermediate Bibhasas. An analogous development took

place in Europe later, where the Romance languages (French, Spanish,

Italian etc.) are derived from Latin just as the Prakrits and modern

Indo-Aryan languages are derived from Sanskrit:

 

 

Sanskrit --> Bibhasas (4) --> Prakrits (7-10?)

 

Latin --> Romance Latins --> Romance Languages (7-10)

 

The modern Indo-Aryan languages are thus essentially Prakrits, and

the earliest Prakrit can be considered as the Old Stage for any of

the Indo-Aryan languages. A speaker of any Indo-Aryan language of

today can understand much of the ancient Prakrits.

it consists of several diaelcts, e.g. Kohistani, Deccani, Rohilstani,

Punjabi and Avadhi

Kannauji

The Prakrit Kosali split up into Kannauji, Bhojpuri etc.

Braj Bhasa

With the political decline of the ancient Saurasena Raj, its

language, Sauraseni Prakrit, split further into a number of separate

languages: Braj Bhasa (spoken in the Braj region), Khari Boli or

Haryanvi (spoken in Haryana) etc.

Khari Boli

The official language of the Indian Republic

Marwari

The area of Marwar was known as Avanti in ancient days, and with the

Scythian invasions, east Avanti was taken over by the Malava Saka

tribe, while the western part remained Aryan and came to be know as

Marudesa, and later as Marwar. Marwari is thus a desendant of the

Avanti Prakrit.

Mewati

Malayalam (`mountainous country'= /mala/ - mountain + /aLam/ - place)

The earliest written record of Malayalam is the /vazhatinaLL/

inscription ca. 830 AD. The earliest extant prose work in the

langauge is the Bhashakautaliyam (12 C) on Chanakya's Arthashastra.

In the 13 C /vattezhutu/ (round writing) descended from the original

Indo-Ayran Brahmi script, gave rise to the malayalam writing

system.Old Malayalam had more than 900 letters and was very rich in

the large number of sounds that could be expressed in it. In the

1960s many of the special letters were dispensed with. and the new

script has less than 90 letters. This was mainly done to include

Malayalam in the keyboards of typewriters and computers. Malayalam

vocaulary is 80% Snaskrit derivation, the Brahmin dialects bieng more

Sanskritized than the Harijan.The Chrisitian dialects contain a

higher proportion of Portuguese, Latin, Syriac and English loanwords.

 

Appendix

Prakrits

The tree of descent of all Indo-Aryan languages ( both live and

extinct) is as follows (extinct languages shown in square brackets):

Bibhasas Prakrit Modern Prakrit

 

Sanskrit --> Uttari Bibhasa --> Gandhari (extinct)

--> Kambhoji (extinct)

 

Madhyi Bibhasa --> Sauraseni --> Braj Bhasa

--> Mewati

--> Avanti --> Marwari

--> [Malavi replaced

East

Avanti]

 

--> Panchali --> Khari Boli or

Haryani

--> Koshali --> Bhojpuri

--> Kannauji

--> Ayodhyi (not

Awadhi!)

--> Magadhi --> Magahi

 

 

Pracyi Bibhasa --> Vangi/Gaudi --> Bengali

--> Odri --> Oriya

--> Kamrupi (exinct, survives

as a

dialect of

Ahomi/Assamese)

--> Angi --> Angika

--> Mathili --> Mithili

 

Dakshini Bibhasa --> Maharashtri --> Marathi

(Marathwada)

--> Vidarbhi --> Varhadi (Vidarbha)

--> Saurashtri (extinct,

replaced

by Gujarati)

--> Andhrai --> Andhri

--> Karnadi -->

Kannada

 

 

This may be compared to the Latin tree:

 

 

Latin --> Iberian Romance --> Spanish

--> Portuguese

--> Catalan

--> Italic Romance --> Italian

--> Balkan Romance --> Romanian

--> Dalmatian

--> Gallic Romance --> French

--> Occitan

--> Rhaetian

 

 

 

The classification of the modern Indo-Aryan languages is as follows:

 

Madhyadesyi -- Braj Bhasa

-- Kannauji

-- Awadhi

-- Eastern Koshali

 

Rajastani -- Marwari

-- Mewari

-- Malavi

-- Harauti

 

Other -- Bundeli, Bagheli, Gondi, Dogri, etc.

 

 

Magadhi was the language of government and administration and perhaps

most literature. Sanskrit was used in the larned writings of the

priests. and was probably restricted to a narrow circle. Pali is very

close to Old Magadhi. Pali was apparently spoken in Western india

during the Magadhan Empire. [kavya I p.3]

Paisaci was used from 4C BC to the 1 C BC in Daskinapatha for secular

literature . [Kavya I p.5]

 

`From ... Bharata and ... markandeya we come to know about the Udra

language ... and the Udra tribe. According to Bharata [ from his

Natyasastra 2 C BC ], Udra is one of 7 Bibhasas, a sort of dialect

born out of the association of Sanskrit with an aboriginal

language... Acording to Prakruta Sarbaswasa, a prakrit grammar of

Markandeya, Udra is one of the 4 types of Prakrit ' [Oriya Lit p.1] `

Apabhramsa is `mentined as the " dialect of the Abhiras " and was

called " Abhiri " and is mentioned in ca. 300 AD in Bharata's

Natyasastra {Kavyamala No. 42} : " Apabhramsa is an uncultured

dialect ( Vibhasa ) spoken by herdsmen " It had a lower status than

Prakrit and abounded in u's. Kalidasa considered Prakrit too

dignified a medium to be used for the raving of mad Puruvas and used

Apabhramsa instead. ' [ Natyasastra Kavyamala No. 42 ] [ Apabhr. p.7

and p.4]

 

Composition

Oriya

 

Austric

The unity of the races of Chota Nagpur (Jharkhand) and the Oceanic

and Australoid Negroids is demonstrated by several observations:

black skin, broad nose, thick lips, abundant body hair (this feature

ditinguishing these races from the less hairy Africans, along with

flaxen hair in childhhod), long forearm, curly hair, use of the

boomerang, the practice of male and female circumcision, the use of

the boomerang etc. Linguistically a unity has also been realized:

` In 1906 Wilhelm Schmidt, a Germa priest and anthropologist, classed

Austro-Asiatic with the Austronesian languages (formerly called

Malayo-Polynesian ) to form a larger family called Austric.' [EB

22:719:1a]

 

Indeed it is thought that all Australoids and Oceanic Negroids

(Melanesians) originated in Eastern India.

Dravidian

The Dravidians originally came from Africa and settled in India after

the arrival of the Pygmoid Veddoids, eventually occupying all of

India except the east which was peopled by the `Naga' Mongoloid Mon-

Khmers. They mixed with the Mesopotamian Semites in NW India to give

rise to the Indus Valley people. Thus the Indus Valley language was

mixed African-Semitic. With the collapse of the Indus Valley

civilization, these people moved south and eventually were driven to

what is now Tamil Nadu under the pressure of the Indo-Aryan invaders.

Thus Tamil is a direct descendant of the Semitic-African Indus Valley

language. However, more the more primitive languages of the Dravidian

family preserve their African characteristics (linguistic and

physical) more purely than the Tamils, who have the highest amount of

Semitic mixture.

 

` Tamil has the relatively lowest proportion of Indo-Aryan loanwords

[of all Dravidian languages] (18-25 % according to the style),

whereas in Malayalam and Telugu the % is sustantially higher ... most

importatn sources are Sanskrit, pali, Prakrit ... modern Urdu,

Portuguese and English.' [EB 22(`Languages ...'):718:2a]

 

` Inspite of the Adivasi and Dravidian influence etc., about 70%

words of modern Oriya language are tatsama or tadbhava, directly

taken from Sanskrit. The Aryanisation [of Orissa] began 8C AD.'

[Oriya Lit p.2]

` In the course of time in the vocabulary of the Oriya language, more

than 2000 Persian, Arabic,Turkish and Urdu words found their place

[poets incl. Upendra Bhanja used Muslim words] [JKSamal Vol II Part 1

p.15]

 

Bengali

` Bengali has 2500 Perso-Arabic words out of a total of 120 000 in

the 2nd edition of its biggest dictionary by the late Jnanendra Mohan

Das ... [suddhe Hindi or kahro Boli hence] at least 5000' [Chatterji

256] `One ony has to look at the big-size dictionaries of these

languages [the modern languages of North and South India, ie.

Kannada,Telugu, malayalam in South India] and calculate. One finds

that out of 1 lac [100,000] vocabulary entries the Sanskrit element

is between 70-80 thousand. Even in Tamil, which has treid to maintain

relative purity of usage, and has less Sanskrit then the others, the

number of Sanskrit words is above 40,000 ' [Vira p.24]

 

--- End forwarded message ---

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