Is Hindi Mother of All North Indian Languages?Permalink

To answer this question, we need to understand that, in a cultural sense, a mother is the one who gives birth to a child; therefore, the child comes later than the mother. Keeping that in mind, Hindi is the daughter of many North Indian languages. Let’s explore that a little further.

Keep one more thing in mind: Tamil and Sanskrit are among the oldest languages in Bharat. People may debate their dating and argue which came earlier and which came later. However, one of the oldest living languages is Tamil. Sanskrit, on the other hand, has largely been preserved in temples, scriptures, and certain rituals, as it has been replaced by other modern languages in everyday use.

Summary of Evolution of Languages:Permalink

Sanskrit → Prakrit (500 BCE) → Apabhramsha (500 CE) → Early Vernaculars (~1000 CE) → Modern Languages (~1500 CE onward).

Those who don’t know history much for them here are important historic notes

• Mahatma Buddha and Mahavir Jain walk on this planet around 5th Century BCE.
• Adi Sanksracharya walk on this planet around 7th Century CE
• Arab invaders successfully took India around 12th Century CE
• Kabirdas Ji walk on this planet around 14th Century CE
• Guru Nanakdev Ji walk on this planet around 15th Century CE
• British Raj started in 1858, before they were just trader as East India Company
• British Raj ended in 1947 (after 90 years of rule)
• I couldn’t fine any great scientific, engineering, medical, mathmetical, astrology, agriculture work in these languages which came after Sanskrit.

Sanskrit (~1500 BCE and more – 500 CE)Permalink

• Vedic Sanskrit (1500 BCE – 500 BCE): Language of the Vedas.
• Classical Sanskrit (500 BCE – onward): Codified by Panini (Aṣṭādhyāyī, ~4th century BCE).
• Used in religious texts, philosophy, and administration but was not a spoken vernacular for the masses.

Prakrits (500 BCE – 500 CE)Permalink

• Evolved as spoken dialects from Sanskrit.
• Used in Jain and Buddhist texts like the Pāli Canon (Buddhism) and Jain Agamas.
• Major Prakrits:
  • Shauraseni Prakrit → Gave rise to Western Hindi (Braj, Rajasthani, Khari Boli, Punjabi, Sindhi).
  • Magadhi Prakrit → Evolved into Bhojpuri, Maithili, Magahi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia.
  • Ardhamagadhi Prakrit → Used in Jain texts, closely related to Magadhi.

Apabhramsha (500 CE – 1000 CE)Permalink

• Late-stage Prakrits, closer to modern languages.
• Flourished in literature and poetry (e.g., Hemachandra’s grammar of Apabhramsha, 12th century).
• Different regional forms:
  • Western Apabhramsha → Led to Rajasthani, Gujarati, Sindhi, Brajbhasha.
  • Eastern Apabhramsha → Gave rise to Bhojpuri, Maithili, Magahi, Bengali.
  • Central Apabhramsha → Developed into Khari Boli, Awadhi.

Early Vernacular Languages (~1000 CE onward)Permalink

• By the 10th–12th century, Prakrit and Apabhramsha evolved into distinct early medieval languages, leading to Awadhi, Braj, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, etc.

Evolution of Today’s North Indian LanguagesPermalink

The evolution of North Indian languages like Awadhi, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri, and others follows a common linguistic lineage from Shauraseni Prakrit → Apabhramsha → Early Medieval Vernaculars → Modern Languages.

गढ़वाली (Garhwali)Permalink

• Period & Development: Evolved gradually from medieval times (with roots that may be traced to around the 10th–12th centuries) into a distinct modern language.
• Region & Usage: Spoken in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.
• Literary Tradition & Notability: Rich in oral traditions such as folk songs and ballads that vividly reflect mountain culture; though largely oral, its cultural imprint is significant.
• Derivation: Classified within the Central Pahari group, sharing ancestry with Shauraseni-derived dialects.

राजस्थानी (Rajasthani)Permalink

• Period & Development: With roots in early medieval times, its literary tradition has evolved continuously over the centuries.
• Region & Usage: Predominantly spoken in Rajasthan and adjacent areas of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
• Literary Tradition & Notability: Home to epic narratives such as the Prithviraj Raso (attributed to Chand Bardai) along with a wealth of folk ballads and poetry.
• Derivation: Emerged from regional Shauraseni Prakrit and later Apabhraṃśa dialects.

भोजपुरी (Bhojpuri)Permalink

• Period & Development: Evolved from Magadhi Prakrit with its modern form taking shape from the medieval period (from around the 11th century onward) and flourishing further in the modern era.
• Region & Usage: Spoken in eastern Uttar Pradesh, western Bihar, parts of Jharkhand, and widely among diaspora communities (e.g. in the Caribbean, Fiji).
• Literary Tradition & Notability: Rich in folklore, folk songs, and theatre; modern literary contributions are exemplified by the dramatist Bhikhari Thakur, often hailed as the “Shakespeare of Bhojpuri.”
• Derivation: A direct descendant of Magadhi Prakrit, it forms part of the Bihari language group.

हिमांचली (Himanchali)Permalink

(Note: “Himanchali” is an umbrella term covering several Pahari dialects in Himachal Pradesh.)
• Period & Development: Has evolved gradually from medieval times to the present, reflecting diverse local traditions since around the 12th–15th centuries.
• Region & Usage: Spoken across various parts of Himachal Pradesh.
• Literary Tradition & Notability: While its literature is predominantly oral (rich in folk songs, ballads, and regional drama), there is no single canonical literary work; its heritage is maintained by numerous local poets and folk artists.
• Derivation: Falls under the Western or Central Pahari group, deriving from earlier Shauraseni/Apabhraṃśa dialects.

मैथिली (Maithili)Permalink

• Period & Development: Possesses ancient roots with a flourishing medieval literary tradition, particularly from around the 14th century onward.
• Region & Usage: Spoken in the Mithila region of northern Bihar and adjoining areas in Nepal.
• Literary Tradition & Notability: Celebrated for its lyrical devotional poetry, especially the works of Vidyapati, who is considered the father of Maithili literature.
• Derivation: Descends from Magadhi Prakrit (or closely related Eastern Apabhraṃśa forms).

छत्तीसगढ़ी (Chhattisgarhi)Permalink

• Period & Development: Developed as a distinct regional language from the medieval period (roughly from 1400 CE onward).
• Region & Usage: Spoken primarily in the state of Chhattisgarh and adjacent parts of Madhya Pradesh.
• Literary Tradition & Notability: Known for its vibrant oral tradition—comprising folk songs, proverbs, and regional epics that reflect local culture.
• Derivation: Emerged from Eastern Hindi dialects through Apabhraṃśa forms.

ब्रजभाषा (Brijbhasha)Permalink

• Period & Development: Evolved as a distinct literary language roughly between the 15th and 19th centuries (c. 1400–1900 CE).
• Region & Usage: Spoken in the Braj region—around Mathura, Vrindavan, Agra in western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan.
• Literary Tradition & Notability: A major medium for devotional literature dedicated to Krishna; its rich corpus includes works and folk devotional songs, with the poet Surdas (whose Sur Sagar is especially revered) serving as its most celebrated literary figure.
• Derivation: Developed from the Shauraseni Prakrit (via Apabhraṃśa stages) within the Hindi dialect continuum.

अवधी (Awadhi)Permalink

• Period & Development: Came to literary prominence from the 16th century onward (around 1500 CE) during the late-medieval period.
• Region & Usage: Mainly spoken in the Awadh region of central Uttar Pradesh (and in parts of western Nepal).
• Literary Tradition & Notability: Known for epic devotional works such as Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas and the Hanuman Chalisa; it also features verses by Bhakti saints like Kabir.
• Derivation: Traces its roots to Ardhamagadhi Prakrit and is grouped under Eastern Hindi.

खरी बोली (Khari Boli)Permalink

• Period & Development: Emerged as an urban (prestige) dialect from the early modern period (from the 17th century onward) and was later standardized in the 19th–20th centuries to form Modern Standard Hindi.
• Region & Usage: Centered in the Delhi region and western Uttar Pradesh, it became the base for official and literary Hindi.
• Literary Tradition & Notability: Early compositions by figures such as Amir Khusro and later contributions by writers like Premchand helped establish its literary status.
• Derivation: Developed from the Western Hindi dialect continuum (via Apabhraṃśa stages of Shauraseni) and eventually Sanskritized for modern usage.

उर्दू (Urdu)Permalink

• Period & Development: Urdu emerged as a distinct literary language during the later medieval period. Its early forms began evolving during the Delhi Sultanate (from the 13th century onward) and reached a mature literary form during the Mughal era (especially the 17th–18th centuries).

• Region & Usage: Initially developed in the culturally vibrant courts of North India—particularly in Delhi and surrounding regions—Urdu later became the language of administration and high culture under the Mughals.

• Literary Tradition & Notability:
Urdu boasts a rich and elegant literary tradition known for its poetry and prose. The language is celebrated for its ghazals, nazms, and short stories. Iconic literary figures include Mirza Ghalib, Mir Taqi Mir, and Allama Iqbal in poetry, as well as prominent prose writers like Saadat Hasan Manto and Ismat Chughtai.

• Literary Tradition & Notability:
Historical figures like Amir Khusro played a pivotal role in shaping its early forms. In later centuries, luminaries such as Mirza Ghalib and Allama Iqbal defined its literary and cultural ethos, leaving an indelible mark on South Asian literature.

• Derivation: Urdu evolved from the regional dialects of medieval North India—particularly from Khariboli, an Apabhraṃśa derivative. Over time, it absorbed a significant amount of vocabulary and stylistic elements from Persian, Arabic, and Turkish due to centuries of Islamic rule, which set it apart from Hindi while sharing much of its grammatical structure.

हिन्दी (Hindi – Modern Standard Hindi)Permalink

• Period & Development: Standardized during the 19th–20th centuries, though its origins trace back to the medieval Hindustani (primarily from Khari Boli, evolving from the 17th century onward).
• Region & Usage: Widely used as the official language across northern and central India.
• Literary Tradition & Notability: Encompasses an extensive modern corpus—from devotional texts like the Ramcharitmanas to modern classics by writers such as Premchand and Harivansh Rai Bachchan.
• Derivation: Developed primarily from the Khari Boli dialect (a Western Hindi variety) and subsequently Sanskritized to form the modern standard.