Magadhi Prakrit

{{Short description|Written language of Ancient India}}

{{Distinguish|Ardhamagadhi Prakrit}}

{{EngvarB|date=August 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{Infobox language

| name = Magadhi Prakrit

| altname = Māgadhī

| nativename = Brahmi: 𑀫𑀸𑀕𑀥𑀻

| region = India

| extinct = developed into the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages

| familycolor = Indo-European

| fam2 = Indo-Iranian

| fam3 = Indo-Aryan

| glotto = none

}}

Magadhi Prakrit (Māgadhī) is of one of the three Dramatic Prakrits, the written languages of Ancient India following the decline of Pali. It was a vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan language, replacing earlier Vedic Sanskrit.{{Citation| contribution=The historical context and development of Indo-Aryan | editor1-last=Cardona | editor1-first=George | editor2-last=Jain | editor2-first=Dhanesh | title=The Indo-Aryan Languages | publisher=Routledge | place=London | year=2003 | series=Routledge language family series | isbn=0-7007-1130-9 | pages=46–66}}

History and overview

Magadhi Prakrit was spoken in the eastern Indian subcontinent, in a region spanning what is now eastern India, Bangladesh and Nepal.{{cite web |last1=Prasad |first1=Balaram |last2=Mukherjee |first2=Sibasis |title=Magadhi / Magahi |url=http://lsi.gov.in/MTSI_app/DraftReport/Bihar/11.%20MAGADHI%20MAGAHI.pdf |website=lsi.gov.in |access-date=24 February 2022}}{{cite book|last=Bashan |first=A.L. |title=The Wonder that was India |publisher=Picador |year=2004 |page=394}}

Magadhi Prakrit later evolved into the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, categorised into four groups:{{cite book |last1=Claus |first1=Peter J. |last2=Diamond |first2=Sarah |last3=Mills |first3=Margaret Ann |title=South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India |publisher=Routledge |year=2003 |page=203}}{{cite book |last1=Cardona |first1=George |last2=Jain |first2=Dhanesh K. |title=The Indo-Aryan Languages |date=26 July 2007 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-79711-9 |page=445 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OtCPAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA445}}

References

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