How did Buddhism affect the vocabulary of Sogdian and Khotanese?

Buddhism played a significant role in shaping the vocabulary of Sogdian and Khotanese by facilitating the introduction of a large number of Indo-Aryan loanwords.1

As Buddhism spread through Central Asia, it brought with it the influence of Sanskrit and Prakrit terminology. This is particularly evident in Khotanese, where the surviving literature is either explicitly Buddhist or heavily colored by Buddhist concepts. Similarly, Sogdian religious texts—which include Buddhist, Manichaean, and Christian works—reflect this linguistic exchange. In the case of the Saka dialects, such as Khotanese and Tumshuq, the texts written in Brahmi script contain many such loanwords from Indian Prakrit languages.123