Apabhraṃśa

Apabhraṃśa is a group of late Middle Indo-Aryan literary languages and vernaculars that developed from Prakrits and preceded many modern Indo-Aryan languages.

Middle Indo-Aryan languages: A historical stage of Indo-Aryan languages between Old Indo-Aryan and New Indo-Aryan. Apabhraṃśa belongs to this broad historical stage.
Old Indo-Aryan: The earliest historical stage of Indo-Aryan, represented chiefly by Vedic and Classical Sanskrit. It is the distant linguistic ancestor of Apabhraṃśa.
Svayambhū: An early medieval Jain poet known for major works in Apabhraṃśa. His poetry demonstrates Apabhraṃśa's capacity for extended narrative.
Apabhraṃśa in Sanskrit poetics: The treatment of Apabhraṃśa as a literary language in Sanskrit grammatical and poetic traditions. This learned category does not always match modern historical-linguistic usage.
Prakrit: A group of Middle Indo-Aryan languages used in ancient and medieval South Asia. Apabhraṃśa varieties developed from earlier Prakrits.
Shauraseni Prakrit: A Middle Indo-Aryan language associated with the Śūrasena region and Sanskrit drama. It is among the Prakrit traditions linked to later Apabhraṃśa forms.
Paumacariu: Svayambhū's Apabhraṃśa retelling of the Rāma story from a Jain perspective. It is a prominent surviving example of Apabhraṃśa narrative literature.
Pali: A Middle Indo-Aryan language best known as the language of the Theravāda Buddhist canon. Pali is another literary Middle Indo-Aryan language, but with a distinct canon and history.
Sanskrit: An ancient Indo-Aryan language with a long tradition of formal grammar and literary use. Apabhraṃśa literary forms were often distinguished from Sanskrit's prestige and grammatical norms.
Maharashtri Prakrit: A literary Prakrit especially associated with lyric poetry and western India. Its literary lineage provides context for western Apabhraṃśa traditions.

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