| Khasa Prakrit | |
| Nativename: | खश, खष, खशीर |
| Imagescale: | 1.3 |
| Ethnicity: | Khasas |
| Region: | Indian subcontinent |
| States: | Khasa Kingdom |
| Familycolor: | Indo-European |
| Fam2: | Indo-Iranian |
| Fam3: | Indo-Aryan |
| Fam4: | Prakrit |
| Glotto: | None |
Khasa Prakrit (also known as Khas Prakrit, Sanskrit Khasa, Himalayan Prakrit, Northern Prakrit, Khas Kura) is a Prakrit language of medieval South Asia and a common ancestor language of the Pahari languages, which includes Nepali, Kumaoni, Jaunsari, Mandeali, Kangri and Garhwali languages.[1] [2] It was commonly referred to as खश (Khaśa), खष (Khaṣa), and खशीर (khaśīra) in the Sanskrit texts.
Indian linguist Suniti Kumar Chatterji suggests that Nepali language developed from Khasa Prakrit.[3] Khas Prakrit is named after the speakers of language, Khas people, who live in the Himalayas.[4]
Khasa belongs to the Indo-European family of languages. Like other Indo-Aryan languages, Khasa is a direct descendant of an early form of Vedic Sanskrit, through Shauraseni Prakrit and Śauraseni Apabhraṃśa (from Sanskrit apabhraṃśa "corrupt").[5]
| Nepali | Kumauni | Kashmiri | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masc | Fem | Masc | Fem | Masc | Fem | ||
| I am | chu | chu | chic | chu | thus | ches | |
| You are | chas | ches | chai | chi | chukh | chekh | |
| He is | cha | che | ch | chi | chuh | cheh | |