Once more on the language of the documents from Niya (East Turkestan) and its genetic position

Anton Kogan (Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow; kogan_anton@yahoo.com)

Journal of Language Relationship, № 15/3-4, 2017 - p.228-237

Abstract: The language of the documents found in the Southeast of present day Xinjiang, mainly in the Niya oasis, is usually reckoned among the Middle Indo-Aryan languages. Some scholars, however, believe it to be a possible ancestor of certain Dardic dialects. In the present article an attempt is made to resolve this controversy, and to establish the exact position of the Niya Prakrit in the Indo-Iranian group. The author concludes that the language in question can by no means be classified as Dardic, though in the past its speakers may have been neighbors of the Dards.

Keywords: Indo-Aryan languages, Dardic languages, language classification, historical phonology, Northwestern Prakrit, Niya Prakrit, East Turkestan, Kroraina kingdom

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