Apabhraa

Apabhraa, also spelled Apabhra, refers to a group of late medieval vernacular languages descended from Prakrits and collectively known as Apabhraṣa or Apabhramsa. The term, from Sanskrit apabhraṣa meaning "fallen" or "degraded," was used by medieval grammarians to distinguish these vernaculars from classical Sanskrit and older Prakrits. These languages were spoken and written across large parts of the Indian subcontinent roughly from the 6th to the 13th or 14th centuries CE, serving as a transitional stage between Prakrits and the early modern Indo-Aryan languages.

Linguistically, Apabhra varieties show simplification of older Prakrit phonology and morphology, with a tendency toward fewer inflectional endings and increased use of affixes. They were written in multiple local scripts, such as Devanagari, Bengali-Assamese, Gujarati, Oriya, and others, reflecting regional phonology and scribal traditions. The literature in Apabhra includes poetry, religious verse, didactic works, and folk narratives, produced by poets and scholars across various communities.

Legacy and significance are tied to their role as a linguistic bridge. Scholars view Apabhra as a crucial link in the development of later Indo-Aryan languages. Features and idioms from Apabhra varieties appear in the early forms of several regional languages that rose to prominence in northern, western, and eastern India, including Braj Bhasha, Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Bengali, and Odia. The body of Apabhra literature thus contributed to the evolution of narrative and poetic styles in medieval India and helped shape the trajectory of South Asian vernaculars.