The Structure and Development of Middle Indo-Aryan Dialects

This monograph concentrates on the nature and pace of phonological, morphological and syntactic change in the history of the Indo-Aryan languages during the Middle Indo-Aryan period (4th c.b.c. -10th c.a.d.). Its ground has been covered by various data-oriented philological studies.

In this monograph, however, the latest linguistic methodology has been used. In Phonology it offers a systematic account of historical phonological processes as against presions atomistic treatments of phonetic innovations in Morphology, paradigmatic sets of the main Prakits (Pali, Ardha-Magadhi, Maharastri and Apabhramsa) are juxtaposed and analysed in terms of their own regularities; and selected topics in Syntax (word order, engatinity, passirization, cansativization) are studied in theoretical framework of Functional Grammar.