Dardic languages
Subgroup of Indo-Aryan languages / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Dardic languages (also Dardu or Pisaca),[1] or Hindu-Kush Indo-Aryan languages,[2][3][4][5] are a group of several Indo-Aryan languages spoken in northern Pakistan, northwestern India and parts of northeastern Afghanistan.[6] This region has sometimes been referred to as Dardistan.[7]
Dardic | |
---|---|
Hindu-Kush Indo-Aryan | |
Geographic distribution | Northern Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir) Northwestern India (Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh) Northeastern Afghanistan (Kapisa, Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar, Nuristan) |
Linguistic classification | Indo-European
|
Subdivisions | |
Glottolog | None dard1244 (Eastern Dardic) |
Dardic languages by Georg Morgenstierne (Note: Nuristani languages such as Kamkata-vari (Kati), Kalasha-ala (Waigali), etc. are now separated) |
Rather than close linguistic or ethnic relationships, the original term Dardic was a geographical concept, denoting the northwesternmost group of Indo-Aryan languages,[8][9] There is no ethnic unity among the speakers of these languages nor can the languages be traced to a single ancestor.[10][11][12][6] After further research, the term "Eastern Dardic" is now a legitimate grouping of languages that excludes some languages in the Dardistan region that are now considered to be part of different language families.[13]
The extinct Gandhari language, used by the Gandhara civilization, from circa 1500 BCE, was Dardic in nature.[14] Linguistic evidence has linked Gandhari with some living Dardic languages, particularly Torwali and other Kohistani languages.[15][16][17] There is limited evidence that the Kohistani languages are descended from Gandhari.