PRAKRIT LANGUAGES

(Sanskrit prakrta: "natural, usual, vulgar"), Middle Indo-Aryan languages that began as vernacular dialects and eventually developed distinct literary styles. These dialects were often distinguished by regional names, e.g., Sauraseni, Magadhi, Maharastri. Some scholars restrict the Prakrits to the languages used by Hindu and Jain writers; others include the Buddhist languages, such as Pali and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, and the inscriptional Prakrits. Other Prakrits include the Ardhamagadhi of the Jain faith and Paisaci, known through grammarians' statements. The modern languages of India developed from the Prakrits, of which the Apabhramsa language (q.v.) was perhaps the latest stage.