Khasa language

Not to be confused with the Khāṣi language of Jammu Kashmir or the Khasi language of Meghalaya.

Khasa Prakrit
खश, खष, खशीर
Copper Inscription by Baise King of Doti, Raika Mandhata Shahi at Saka Era 1612 (शाके १६१२) (or 1747 Bikram Samvat),(= AD 1690 or 1691) in old Khas language using Devanagari script
Native to	Khasa Kingdom
Region	Indian subcontinent
Ethnicity	Khasas
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Prakrit Khasa Prakrit
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	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]

History

Origin and development

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]

Language comparison

Language Comparison

	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

See also

• Apabhraṃśa
• Prakrit
• Nepali language

References

1. Pradhan, Kumar (1991). The Gorkha Conquests: The Process and Consequences of the Unification of Nepal, with Particular Reference to Eastern Nepal. Oxford University Press. pp. 30–40. ISBN 978-0-19-562723-7.
2. Schmidt, Ruth Laila (1993). व्यावहारिक नेपाली-अङ्ग्रेजी शब्दकोश. Ratna Sagar. pp. ix. ISBN 978-81-7070-172-9.
3. Subba, Tanka Bahadur (2009). Indian Nepalis: Issues and Perspectives. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 325–337. ISBN 978-81-8069-446-2.
4. Ray, Dinesh Chandra; Chowdhury, Srikanta Roy (2022-12-22). Darjeeling: In Search of People's History of the Hills. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-82880-1.
5. "नेपाली भाषाको उत्पत्ति र विकास" (PDF). Uttarakhand Open University (in Nepali). Retrieved 19 February 2024.