Indian Antiquary Vol 60

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 324

11
ON THE MODERN INDO-ARYAN VERNACULARS
(FEBRUARY, 1931
8. Ph.=Notes on the Phonetics of the Gilgit WIIAV(s).=Western Intermediate Indo
Dialect of Shina. By D. L. R. Lorimer. Aryan Vernaculars (R. G. P.).
In JRAS, 1924, pp. 1 ff. and 177 ff. Wk.=Altindische Grammatik von Jakob Wacksg. or sing. || Singular.
ernagel, I Lautlehre (Göttingen, 1896). Sgh.=Singhalese.
II, Einleitung zur Wortlehre. Nominal Sgh. Gr.= Literatur und Sprache der Singha- Komposition (Göttingen, 1905). When only
lesen. By Wilhelm Geiger (GIAP, I, 10). the page is quoted, it is to be understood Shb,=Shab5zgarhi.
that the reference is to vol. I. Sh.fm.=short form.
WPh.=Western Pahāri. There is no sepaSIAV.=Southern Indo-Aryan Vernacular (M.)
rate Dictionary or Grammar. Of., how Skr.=Sanskrit.
ever, the following. Śr. Ap.=Saurasēna Apabhraga.
WPh. (Cm.).=Cameāļi. Śr. Pr.=Saurasēni Prakrit=Pr. (Śr.).
WPh. Gr.=The Languages of the Northern str. fm. strong form.
Himalayas, being Studies in the Grammar of sTs.Esemi-Tatsama.
Twenty-six Himalayan Dialects. By T. T.=R. L. Turner. See G. Ph.
Grahame Bailey. Asiatic Society's MonoTbh.=tadbhava.
graphs, vol. XII. London, 1908. This Tir.=Tirähi.
contains grammatical sketches of several Trw.=Torwāli.
WPh. dialects. Trw. Gr.=Torwili, an account of a Dardic WPh. (Jn.)=Jaunsāri. Language of the Swat Kõhistān. By Sir
WPh. (K!.)=Kuļūi. George A. Grierson. Royal Asiatic Society,
WPh. (Kth.)=Kidthali. 1929.
WZKM.=Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Tr.=tatsama.
Morgenlandes. Up. Ap.=Upanāgara Apabhramsa. V. Veron.
ZDMG. Zeitschrift der Deutschen MorgenlänV. Ap.=Vrācada Apabhramsa.
dischen Gesellschaft. voc.=vocative.
ZVS.=Zeitschrift für vergleichende SprachW prefixed to a language name=West.
forschung auf dem Gebiete der IndogermanWai.=Wai-alā.
ischen Sprachen. I. General View of the Indo-Aryan Vernaculars. 1. The languages spoken at the present day in British India are usually divided into three main groups, viz. (1) Aryan languages, (2) Dravidian languages, and (3) others. The last group is mainly composed of Munda and Tibeto-Burman forms of speech, whose present habitats are, respectively, the central hill country of Hindöstān and the mountains that form the northern and the north-eastern boundaries of India proper. The Dravidian languages are principally spoken in the Deccan, although sporadic dialects of this group are found even so far north as the Ganges valley and in Balūcistān. The Aryan languages cover, roughly speaking, the whole of the northern plain of India, penetrating, in the case of the Pahāți dialects, into the lower ranges of the Himalaya. Closely related to them is another group of languages foy usunhd e wild mountainous country lying to the south of the Hindukus. These are called in this work the 'Dardic' or Modern Pisāca' languages. The Indo-Aryan languages have followed the course of the Ganges down to its mouth, and have conquered the fertile plains on both sides of the Brahmaputra as far as Sadiyā, near which place that river enters the Assam valley on its journey from Tibet. The entire course of the Indus, from the frontier of India proper to the sea, recognizes their sway, and on the east and the west coasts of the Peninsula they have pushed far to the south, displacing Dravidian languages, - on the East, Kandh, Gönd, and Telugu, and, on the West, Kanarese.