Keywords:
Regional Languages, Historical Inscriptions, Linguistic Evolution, Epigraphy, Cultural identity, Linguistic Transition, Linguistic Structures, Lexical Borrowings, Phonetic Transformations, Linguistic Artifacts
Abstract
The history of regional languages as revealed from historical inscriptions provides rich evidence of the linguistic, cultural, and socio-political changes that characterized historical societies. Inscriptions, having survived over time, are repositories of ancient civilization, especially in tracing the emergence and evolution of regional languages. This manuscript discusses the contribution of historical inscriptions in charting the history of regional languages, with specific reference to their contribution to demystifying linguistic features, sound changes, grammatical structures, and lexical borrowings that reflect the changing dynamics of regional identity. Through the reading of a sample of inscriptions from various regions, this study underscores the contribution of inscriptions as both historical and linguistic texts that reflect the interface of language and cultural processes. The study underscores the application of epigraphy as an explanatory tool of the evolution of regional languages, providing insights into their evolution and survival against political, religious, and cultural pressures.
References
- Sircar, D. C. (1969). Indian Epigraphy. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.
- Sharma, R. S. (2005). India’s Ancient Past. Oxford University Press.
- Nagaraja Rao, M. S. (2010). History of Kannada Language. Karnataka State Textbook Society.
- Butcher, J. M. B. (1995). Inscriptional and Epigraphical Contributions to South Asian Studies. Oxford University Press.
- Bapat, M. R. (2007). Inscriptions of Ancient India: Linguistic and Epigraphical Studies. New Bharatiya Book Corporation.
How to cite
Sangeeta Gupta (2015). Evolution of Regional Languages Through Historical Inscriptions. International Journal of Research in All Subjects in Multi Languages, 3(12), 23-30.
Licence
This article is open access, published under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Copyright remains with the authors.
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