Prakrit

(“formed”) Collective term for the grammatically simpler vernacular languages
that developed from Sanskrit through
the natural process of linguistic change.
The existence of Prakrits is evident as
early as the fifth century B.C.E., at which
time several different dialects are spoken. The Prakrits were contrasted with
Sanskrit (“perfected”), the language of
temple, court, and other elite contexts,
which was subject to strict grammatical
canons and did not change. Even those
fluent in Sanskrit would have learned it
as a second language—as a static,
learned language, it is inherently artificial—and would have spoken in Prakrit
with lower status people (such as servants, commoners, and most women).
Despite its “lower” status, Prakrits are
vitally important historically: They were
the languages for royal inscriptions up
to the Gupta era (ca. 350–550), and one
of the Prakrits, Pali, is famous as the language for the Theravada Buddhist
canon. See also Gupta dynasty.