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Apabhramsha is a term used by Sanskrit grammarians since Patanjali to refer to dialects of North India that deviate from the norm of Sanskrit grammar. The term apabhramsha literally means "corrupt" or non-standard language. It is used as a cover term for the dialects forming the transition between late Middle Indic and early Modern Indic languages (e.g. Brij Bhasha), spanning the period between the 6th and the 13th centuries, though some scholars use it more narrowly to refer primarily to the transition period^[1], leaving the earlier part to the Middle Indo-Aryan languages.

The term Prakrit (which includes Pali) is used for the popular dialects of India which were spoken until 4-8th century, but some scholars use the term Prakrit throughout the Middle Indo-Aryan period. Middle Indo-Aryan languages gradually transformed into Apabhramshas which were used until about 15th century. Apabhramshas evolved into modern languages which are equally today spoken by millions of people. Languages such as Hindi (337 million speakers), Bengali (232 million speakers), Urdu (160 million speakers), Gujarati (46 million speakers) are all representative languages of large modern day states, unlike Sanskrit (>50,000 speakers) which has fallen out of modern day use. The boundaries of these periods are somewhat hazy, not strictly chronological. The modern north Indian languages are often considered to have begun to develop a distinct identity around the 11th century, while the Apabhramsha's were still in use, and being fully distinct by the end of the 12th century.

A significant amount of Apabhramsha literature has been found in Jain libraries. While Amir Khusro and Kabir were writing in a language quite similar to modern Hindi, many poets, especially in regions that were still ruled by Hindu kings, continued to write in Apabhramsha. The Apabhramsha authors include Sarahapad of Kamarupa, Devasena of Dhar (9th c. CE), Pushpadanta of Manyakhet (9th c. CE), Dhanapal, Muni Ramsimha, Hemachandra of Patan, Raighu of Gwalior (15th CE). An early example of the use of Apabhramsha is in Vikramorvashiyam of Kalidasa, when Pururava asks the animals in the forest about his beloved who had disappeared.

1. ^ Shapiro, Hindi

• Shapiro, Michael C. Hindi. Facts about the world's languages: An encyclopedia of the world's major languages, past and present. Ed. Jane Garry, and Carl Rubino: New England Publishing Associates, 2001.

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