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. [2]: 50 [1] 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.
Masica 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.[2]: 52
Dialectsedit
There 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:[3][4][5]
Western: The inscriptions at Girnar and Sopara, which: prefer r over l; do not merge the nasal consonants (n, ñ, ṇ); merge all sibilants into s; prefer (c)ch as the reflex of the Old Indo-Aryan thorn cluster kṣ; have -o as the nominative singular of masculine a-stems, among other morphological peculiarities. Notably, this dialect corresponds well with Pali, the preferred Middle Indo-Aryan language of Buddhism.[6]: 5
Northwestern: The inscriptions at Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra written in the Kharosthi script: retain etymological r and l as distinct; do not merge the nasals; do not merge the sibilants (s, ś, ṣ); metathesis of liquids in consonant clusters (e.g. Sanskrit dharma > Shahbazgarhi dhrama). These features are shared with the modern Dardic languages.[7]
Eastern: The standard administrative language, exemplified by the inscriptions at Dhauli and Jaugada and used in the geographical core of the Mauryan Empire: prefer l over r, merge the nasals into n (and geminate ṁn), prefer (k)kh as the reflex of OIA kṣ, have -e as the nominative singular of masculine a-stems, etc. Oberlies suggests that the inscriptions in the Central zone were translated from the "official" administrative forms of the Edicts.
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.[9] Meanwhile, the l ~ r distinctions are apparent in the word for "king" (Girnar rāña but Jaugada lājinā).
Referencesedit
^ abThomas Oberlies. "Aśokan Prakrit and Pali". In George Cardona; Dhanesh Jain (eds.). The Indo-Aryan Languages. pp. 179–224.
^Jules Bloch (1950). Les inscriptions d'Aśoka, traduites et commentées par Jules Bloch (in French).
^Ashwini Deo (2018). "Dialects in the Indo-Aryan landscape". In Charles Boberg; John Nerbonne; Dominic Watt (eds.). The Handbook of Dialectology(PDF). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
^Jain, Danesh; Cardona, George (2007-07-26). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge. p. 165.
^George A. Grierson (1927). "On the Old North-Western Prakrit". The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 4 (4): 849–852. JSTOR 25221256.
^"2. Girnār, Kālsī, Shāhbāzgaṛhī, Mānsehrā, Dhauli, Jaugaḍa rock edicts (Synoptic, Māgadhī and English)". Bibliotheca Polyglotta. University of Oslo.
^Hultzsch, E. (1925). Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum v. 1: Inscriptions of Asoka. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. xlii.
December 07, 2023
ashokan, prakrit, aśokan, prākṛta, middle, indo, aryan, dialect, continuum, used, edicts, ashoka, attributed, emperor, ashoka, mauryan, empire, reigned, edicts, inscriptions, monumental, pillars, rocks, throughout, indian, subcontinent, that, cover, ashoka, co. Ashokan Prakrit or Asokan Prakṛta 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 1 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 the practice of non violence Ashokan PrakritAshokan Prakrit inscribed in the Brahmi script at Sarnath RegionSouth AsiaEra268 232 BCELanguage familyIndo European Indo IranianIndo AryanAshokan PrakritEarly formsProto Indo European Proto Indo Iranian Proto Indo AryanWriting systemBrahmi KharoshthiLanguage codesISO 639 3 BahapurGujarraSaru MaruUdegolamNitturMaskiSiddapurBrahmagiriJatingaPakilgunduRajula MandagiriYerragudiSasaramRupnathBairatBhabruAhrauraBarabarTaxila Aramaic MahasthanLaghman Aramaic MaskiPalkigunduGavimathJatinga RameshwaraRajula MandagiriBrahmagiriUdegolamSiddapurNitturAhrauraSasaramKandahar Greek and Aramaic KandaharYerragudiGirnarDhauliKhalsiSoparaJaugadaShahbazgarhiMansehraSannatiSarnathSanchiLumbiniNigali SagarNigali SagarNandangarhKosambiTopraMeerutArarajAraraj RampurvaRampurvaAi Khanoum Greek city PataliputraUjjainclass notpageimage Location of the Minor Rock Edicts Edicts 1 2 amp 3 Other inscriptions often classified as Minor Rock Edicts Location of the Major Rock Edicts Location of the Minor Pillar Edicts Original location of the Major Pillar Edicts Capital citiesThe 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 2 50 1 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 Dhammalipi and the Kharoshthi script only in the Northwest Contents 1 Classification 2 Dialects 2 1 Sample 3 ReferencesClassification editMasica 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 2 52 Dialects editThere 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 3 4 5 Western The inscriptions at Girnar and Sopara which prefer r over l do not merge the nasal consonants n n ṇ merge all sibilants into s prefer c ch as the reflex of the Old Indo Aryan thorn cluster kṣ have o as the nominative singular of masculine a stems among other morphological peculiarities Notably this dialect corresponds well with Pali the preferred Middle Indo Aryan language of Buddhism 6 5 Northwestern The inscriptions at Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra written in the Kharosthi script retain etymological r and l as distinct do not merge the nasals do not merge the sibilants s s ṣ metathesis of liquids in consonant clusters e g Sanskrit dharma gt Shahbazgarhi dhrama These features are shared with the modern Dardic languages 7 Eastern The standard administrative language exemplified by the inscriptions at Dhauli and Jaugada and used in the geographical core of the Mauryan Empire prefer l over r merge the nasals into n and geminate ṁn prefer k kh as the reflex of OIA kṣ have e as the nominative singular of masculine a stems etc Oberlies suggests that the inscriptions in the Central zone were translated from the official administrative forms of the Edicts Sample edit nbsp Dhrama dipi rescript on morality in Ashokan Prakrit in the Kharoshthi script at Shahbazgarhi The following is the first sentence of the Major Rock Edict 1 inscribed c 257 BCE in many locations 8 Girnar iy aṃ thisdhaṃma lipimorality rescriptDevanaṃpriyenaDevanaṁpriya INSPriyadasinaPriyadarsin INSranaking INSlekhapitawrite CAUS PTCiy aṃ dhaṃma lipi Devanaṃpriyena Priyadasina rana lekhapitathis morality rescript Devanaṁpriya INS Priyadarsin INS king INS write CAUS PTC This rescript on morality has been caused to be written by king Devanaṁpriya Priyadarsin Kalsi iyaṃthisdhaṃma lipimorality rescriptDevanaṃpiyenaDevanaṁpriya INSPiyadas i naPriyadarsin INS lekhit awrite PTCiyaṃ dhaṃma lipi Devanaṃpiyena Piyadas i na lekhit athis morality rescript Devanaṁpriya INS Priyadarsin INS write PTC Shahbazgarhi aya thisdhrama dipimorality rescriptDevanapriasaDevanaṁpriya GENranoking GENlikhapituwrite CAUS PTC aya dhrama dipi Devanapriasa rano likhapituthis morality rescript Devanaṁpriya GEN king GEN write CAUS PTC Mansehra ayithisdhra ma dip i morality rescriptDevanaṃ priye naDevanaṁpriya INSPriya drasinaPriyadarsin INSrajinaking INSli khapitawrite CAUS PTCayi dhra ma dip i Devanaṃ priye na Priya drasina rajina li khapitathis morality rescript Devanaṁpriya INS Priyadarsin INS king INS write CAUS PTC Dhauli siLOCpava tasimountain LOC D e v a na ṃp iy Devanaṁpriya INS naINSlajinaking INSl i kha write PTC si pava tasi D e v a na ṃp iy na lajina l i kha LOC mountain LOC Devanaṁpriya INS INS king INS write PTC Jaugada iyaṃthisdhaṃma lipimorality rescriptKhepi ṃ galasiKhepiṅgala LOCpavatasimountain LOCDevanaṃpiyenaDevanaṁpriya INSPiyadasinaPriyadarsin INSlajinaking INSlikhapitawrite CAUS PTCiyaṃ dhaṃma lipi Khepi ṃ galasi pavatasi Devanaṃpiyena Piyadasina lajina likhapitathis morality rescript Khepiṅgala LOC mountain LOC Devanaṁpriya INS Priyadarsin 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 9 Meanwhile the l r distinctions are apparent in the word for king Girnar rana but Jaugada lajina References edit a b Thomas Oberlies Asokan Prakrit and Pali In George Cardona Dhanesh Jain eds The Indo Aryan Languages pp 179 224 a b Masica Colin 1993 The Indo Aryan Languages Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 29944 2 Jules Bloch 1950 Les inscriptions d Asoka traduites et commentees par Jules Bloch in French Ashwini Deo 2018 Dialects in the Indo Aryan landscape In Charles Boberg John Nerbonne Dominic Watt eds The Handbook of Dialectology PDF John Wiley amp Sons Inc Jain Danesh Cardona George 2007 07 26 The Indo Aryan Languages Routledge p 165 Norman Kenneth Roy 1983 Pali Literature Wiesbaden Otto Harrassowitz pp 2 3 ISBN 3 447 02285 X George A Grierson 1927 On the Old North Western Prakrit The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland 4 4 849 852 JSTOR 25221256 2 Girnar Kalsi Shahbazgaṛhi Mansehra Dhauli Jaugaḍa rock edicts Synoptic Magadhi and English Bibliotheca Polyglotta University of Oslo Hultzsch E 1925 Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum v 1 Inscriptions of Asoka Oxford Clarendon Press p xlii Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ashokan Prakrit amp oldid 1183173763, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
