Proto-Indo-Aryan language explained

Proto-Indo-Aryan
Also Known As:	PIA, Proto-Indic
Familycolor:	Indo-European
Ancestor:	Proto-Indo-European
Ancestor2:	Proto-Indo-Iranian
Target:	Indo-Aryan languages

Proto-Indo-Aryan (sometimes Proto-Indic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Indo-Aryan languages.^[1] It is intended to reconstruct the language of the Proto-Indo-Aryans, who had migrated into the Indian subcontinent. Being descended from Proto-Indo-Iranian (which in turn is descended from Proto-Indo-European),^[2] it has the characteristics of a satem language.^[3]

History

See also: Indo-Aryan languages.

Proto-Indo-Aryan is meant to be the predecessor of Old Indo-Aryan (1500–300 BCE), which is directly attested as Vedic and Classical Sanskrit, as well as by the Indo-Aryan superstrate in Mitanni. Indeed, Vedic Sanskrit is very close to Proto-Indo-Aryan.^[4]

Some of the Prakrits display a few minor features derived from Proto-Indo-Aryan that had already disappeared in Vedic Sanskrit.

Today, numerous modern Indo-Aryan languages are extant.

Differences from Vedic

Despite the great archaicity of Vedic, the other Indo-Aryan languages preserve a small number of conservative features lost in Vedic.^[5]

One of these is the representation of Proto-Indo-European *l and *r. Vedic (as also most Iranic languages) merges both as pronounced as //r//. Later, however, some instances of Indo-European pronounced as //l// again surface in Classical Sanskrit, indicating that the contrast survived in an early Indo-Aryan dialect parallel to Vedic. (A dialect with only pronounced as //l// is additionally posited to underlie Magadhi Prakrit.)^[6] However, it is not clear that the contrast actually survived anywhere in Indo-Iranian, not even in Proto-Indo-Iranian, as pronounced as //l// is also found in place of original *r in Indo-Iranian languages.

The common consonant cluster kṣ pronounced as //kʂ// of Vedic and later Sanskrit has a particularly wide range of Proto-Indo-European (PIE) and Proto-Indo-Iranian (PII) sources, which partly remain distinct in later Indo-Aryan languages:^[7]

• PIE *ks, *kʷs, *gs, *gʷs > PII *kš > Middle Indo-Aryan kh-, -kkh-
• PIE *dʰgʷʰ, *gʰs, *gʷʰs > PII *gʱžʱ > Middle Indo-Aryan gh-, -ggh-
• PIE *tḱ; *ǵs, *ḱs > PII *tć, *ćš > Middle Indo-Aryan ch-, -cch-
• PIE *dʰǵʰ, *ǵʰs > PII *ȷ́ʱžʱ > Middle Indo-Aryan jh-, -jh-

Personal pronouns (nominative case)

Most personal pronouns are identical between Proto-Indo-Iranian and Proto-Indo-Aryan and show modest differences between Proto-Indo-Aryan and Sanskrit

!Pronoun!PIE!PII and PIA

I	éǵ > *eǵHóm	aȷ́Hám > *aȷ́ʰám > PIA *aźʰám > Skr अहम् (ahám)
You	túh₂	túH > PIA *tuHám > Skr त्वम् (tvám)
He	ey- (*eyóm?) *só|*sá|-|She|*séh₂|*sáH > Skr सा (sā́)|-|It|*tód|*tád > Skr तत् (tat)|-|We|*wéy > *weyóm|*wayám|-|You (all)|*yū́|*yúH > Skr यूयम् (yūyám)|-|They (m.)|*tóy|*táy > Skr ते (te) /tai/|-|They (f.)|*téh₂es|*tā́s (or *táHas?) > Skr ताः (tāḥ)|-|They (n.)|*téh₂|*tá > Skr तानि (tāni)|} Numerals Most numerals are identical between Proto-Indo-Iranian and Proto-Indo-Aryan. Most number show minimal differences between Proto-Indo-Aryan and Sanskrit (e.g., the loss of the fricative sound *H). !Numeral!PIE!PII and PIA One (1) h₁óynos > *h₁óykos Háykas > Skr एक (éka) /aika/ Two (2) dwóh₁ dwáH > Skr द्व (dvá) Three (3) tréyes tráyas > Skr त्रयः (tráyaḥ) [nom. plur.] Four (4) kʷetwóres čatwā́ras > Skr चत्वारः (catvā́raḥ) [nom.] Five (5) pénkʷe pánča Six (6) swéḱs šwáćš > PIA *ṣwáṭṣ > Skr षट् (ṣáṭ) Seven (7) septḿ̥ saptá Eight (8) oḱtṓw Haštā́ > PIA *Haṣṭā́ > Skr अष्ट (aṣṭá) Nine (9) h₁néwn̥ Hnáwa > Skr नव (náva) Ten (10) déḱm̥ dáća > PIA *dáśa References Works cited Book: Flood . Gavin . The Blackwell companion to Hinduism . 2003 . Blackwell Publ . Oxford . 1-4051-3251-5. Book: MacDonell, Arthur Anthony . 2004 . A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary . Motilal Banarsidass . 978-81-208-2000-5. Book: Radhakrishnan . S. . Moore . C. A. . Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan . 1957 . A Source Book in Indian Philosophy . Princeton University Press . Princeton, New Jersey . 978-0-691-01958-1 . registration . Further reading Morgenstierne, Georg. "Early Iranic Influence upon Indo-Aryan." Acta Iranica, I. série, Commemoration Cyrus. Vol. I. Hommage universel (1974): 271–279. External links Category:Proto-Indo-Aryan language on Wiktionary ]

Notes and References

1. Book: Cardona. George. Jain. Dhanesh. The Indo-Aryan Languages. 26 July 2007. Routledge . 9781135797119. 24 October 2015.
2. Web site: ARYANS – Encyclopedia Iranica. Encyclopedia Iranica. 23 October 2015.
3. Web site: Wheeler. L. Kip.. The Indo-European Family of Languages. Dr. Wheeler's Website. 12 November 2015.
4. see e.g. ; Witzel, Michael, "Vedas and ", in: ; ; Sanskrit literature (2003) in Philip's Encyclopedia. Accessed 2007-08-09
5. Book: Masica, Colin P.. Colin Masica

   . Colin Masica. The Indo-Aryan Languages. 1991. 156.

6. Book: Masica, Colin P.. Colin Masica

   . Colin Masica. The Indo-Aryan Languages. 1991. 97.

7. Book: Kobayashi, Masato. Historical Phonology of Old Indo-Aryan Consonants. Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa Monograph Series. 42. 2004. 4-87297-894-3. 60–65.