Apabhraṃśa (Sanskrit: अपभ्रंश,IPA: [əpəbʱrə̃ˈɕə], Prakrit:Avahansa) is a cover term used to refer a number of dialects of various Middle Indo-Aryan languages. These dialects were formed during the transition period of Middle Indo-Aryan languages and Modern Indo-Aryan languages, spanning between the 6th and the 12, 13-15th centuries CE. The term Apabhraṃśa is used by Sanskrit grammarians since Patañjali. Apabhraṃśa in Sanskrit literally means "corrupt" or "non-grammatical language".
Dialects of various Middle Indo-Aryan languages (including Prakrit languages) gradually transformed into Apabhraṃśa dialects which were used until about the 13-15th century. Apabhraṃśas later evolved into Modern Indo-Aryan languages such as Hindi-Urdu, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Oriya, Punjabi, Konkani and Sinhala. The boundaries of these periods are somewhat hazy, not strictly chronological. The modern northern Indian languages are often considered to have begun to develop a distinct identity around the 11th century, while the Apabhraṃśa dialects were still in use, and became fully distinct by the end of the 12, 13-15th centuries.
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