| Proto-Indo-Aryan | |
|---|---|
| PIA, Proto-Indic | |
| Reconstruction of | Indo-Aryan languages |
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Proto-Indo-Aryan (sometimesProto-Indic[note 1]) is thereconstructedproto-language of theIndo-Aryan languages.[1] It is intended to reconstruct the language of theIndo-Aryans, who hadmigrated into the Indian subcontinent. Being descended fromProto-Indo-Iranian (which in turn is descended fromProto-Indo-European),[2] it has the characteristics of asatem language.[3]
Proto-Indo-Aryan is meant to be the predecessor of Old Indo-Aryan (1500–300 BCE), which is directlyattested asVedic andClassical Sanskrit, as well as by theIndo-Aryan superstrate in Mitanni. Indeed, Vedic Sanskrit is very close to Proto-Indo-Aryan.[4]
Some of thePrakrits display a few minor features derived from Proto-Indo-Aryan that had already disappeared inVedic Sanskrit.
Today, numerous modernIndo-Aryan languages are extant.
Despite the great archaicity of Vedic, the other Indo-Aryan languages preserve a small number ofconservative 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/r/. Later, however, some instances of Indo-European/l/ again surface inClassical Sanskrit, indicating that the contrast survived in an early Indo-Aryan dialect parallel to Vedic. (A dialect with only/l/ is additionally posited to underlieMagadhi Prakrit.)[6] However, it is not clear that the contrast actually survived anywhere in Indo-Iranian, not even in Proto-Indo-Iranian, as/l/ is also found in place of original *r in Indo-Iranian languages.
The common consonant clusterkṣ/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]
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 तद् (tad) |
| 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) |
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 |
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