Ashokan Prakrit
Ashokan Prakrit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ashokan Prakrit inscribed in the Brahmi script at Sarnath. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Region | South Asia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Era | 268—232 BCE[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Language family | Indo-European
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Early forms | Proto-Indo-European
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Writing system | Brahmi, Kharoshthi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ISO 639-3 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ashokan Prakrit, also known as Asokan Prakrit or Aśokan Prakrit (IAST: Aśoka Prākṛta), is the Middle Indo-Aryan dialect continuum used in the Edicts of Ashoka, attributed to Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire who reigned 268 BCE to 232 BCE.[2] The Edicts are inscriptions on monumental pillars and rocks throughout the Indian subcontinent that cover Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism and espouse Buddhist principles (e.g. upholding dhamma and ahimsa). The Ashokan Prakrit dialects reflected local forms of the Early Middle-Indo-Aryan language. Three dialect areas are represented: Northwestern, Western, and Eastern. The Central dialect of Indo-Aryan is exceptionally not represented; instead, inscriptions of that area use the Eastern forms. [3]: 50 [2] Ashokan Prakrit is descended from an Old Indo-Aryan dialect closely related to Vedic Sanskrit, on occasion diverging by preserving archaisms from Proto-Indo-Aryan. Ashokan Prakrit is attested in the Brahmi script, as well as the Kharoshthi script in the north-west.[clarification needed] ClassificationMasica classifies Ashokan Prakrit as an Early Middle-Indo-Aryan language, representing the earliest stage after Old Indo-Aryan in the historical development of Indo-Aryan.[3]: 52 DialectsThere are three dialect groups attested in the Ashokan Edicts, based on phonological and grammatical idiosyncrasies which correspond with developments in later Middle Indo-Aryan languages:[4][5][6]
SampleThe following is the first sentence of the Major Rock Edict 1, inscribed c. 257 BCE in many locations.[10]
iy[aṃ] this dhaṃma-lipī morality-rescript Devānaṃpriyena Devānāṁpriya.INS Priyadasinā Priyadarśin.INS rāña king.INS lekhāpitā write.CAUS.PTC iy[aṃ] dhaṃma-lipī Devānaṃpriyena Priyadasinā rāña lekhāpitā this morality-rescript Devānāṁpriya.INS Priyadarśin.INS king.INS write.CAUS.PTC 'This rescript on morality has been caused to be written by king Devānāṁpriya Priyadarśin.'
iyaṃ this dhaṃma-lipi morality-rescript Devānaṃpiyena Devānāṁpriya.INS Piyadas[i]nā Priyadarśin.INS [lekhit]ā write.PTC iyaṃ dhaṃma-lipi Devānaṃpiyena Piyadas[i]nā [lekhit]ā this morality-rescript Devānāṁpriya.INS Priyadarśin.INS write.PTC
[aya] this dhrama-dipi morality-rescript Devanapriasa Devānāṁpriya.GEN raño king.GEN likhapitu write.CAUS.PTC [aya] dhrama-dipi Devanapriasa raño likhapitu this morality-rescript Devānāṁpriya.GEN king.GEN write.CAUS.PTC
ayi this dhra[ma]dip[i] morality-rescript Devanaṃ[priye]na Devānāṁpriya.INS Priya[draśina Priyadarśin.INS rajina king.INS li]khapita write.CAUS.PTC ayi dhra[ma]dip[i] Devanaṃ[priye]na Priya[draśina rajina li]khapita this morality-rescript Devānāṁpriya.INS Priyadarśin.INS king.INS write.CAUS.PTC
... ... [si LOC pava]tasi mountain.LOC [D]e[v]ā[na]ṃp[iy] Devānāṁpriya.INS ... ... [nā INS lājina king.INS l]i[kha] write.PTC ... ... ... [si pava]tasi [D]e[v]ā[na]ṃp[iy] ... [nā lājina l]i[kha] ... ... LOC mountain.LOC Devānāṁpriya.INS ... INS king.INS write.PTC ...
iyaṃ this dhaṃma-lipi morality-rescript Khepi[ṃ]galasi Khepiṅgala.LOC pavatasi mountain.LOC Devānaṃpiyena Devānāṁpriya.INS Piyadasinā Priyadarśin.INS lājinā king.INS likhāpitā write.CAUS.PTC iyaṃ dhaṃma-lipi Khepi[ṃ]galasi pavatasi Devānaṃpiyena Piyadasinā lājinā likhāpitā this morality-rescript Khepiṅgala.LOC mountain.LOC Devānāṁpriya.INS Priyadarśin.INS king.INS write.CAUS.PTC The dialect groups and their differences are apparent: the Northwest retains clusters but does metathesis on liquids (dhrama vs. other dhaṃma) and retains an earlier form dipi "writing" borrowed from Iranian.[11] Meanwhile, the l ~ r distinctions are apparent in the word for "king" (Girnar rāña but Jaugada lājinā).[citation needed] References
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Dardic |
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Northern |
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Northwestern |
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Western |
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Central |
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Eastern |
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Southern |
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Old | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Middle |
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Proto- languages | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unclassified |
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Pidgins and creoles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||