Kamarupi Prakrit
Kamarupi Prakrit is the postulated Middle Indo-Aryan (MIA) Prakrit language used in ancient Kamarupa (11th–13th century). This language has been derived from Gauda-Kamarupi Prakrit and the historical ancestor of the Kamatapuri lects and the modern Assamese language; and can be dated prior to 1250 CE, when the proto-Kamta language, the parent of the Kamatapuri lects, began to develop. Though not substantially proven, the existence of the language that predated the Kamatapuri lects and modern Assamese is widely believed to be descended from it.
| Kamarupi Prakrit | |
|---|---|
| Kamrupi Apabhramsa | |
| Pronunciation | Kāmarūpī Prākrit |
| Region | Kamarupa |
| Era | First millennium |
Indo-European
| |
Early form | Magadhi Prakrit
|
Writing system | Kamarupi script |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
| Coordinates: 26.15°N 90.81°E | |
The evidence of this MIA exist in systematic errors in the Sanskrit language used in the Kamarupa inscriptions. A distinguishing characteristic of Kamarupa inscriptions is the replacement of ś and ṣ by s, which is contrary to Vararuci's rule, the main characteristic of Magadhi Prakrit, which warrants that ṣ and s are replaced by ś. Linguists claim this apabhramsa gave rise to various eastern Indo-European languages like modern Assamese and felt its presence in the form of Kamrupi and Kamatapuri lects.