Old Indo-Aryan languages

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July 19, 2026

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Old Indo-Aryan, also known as Old Indic, refers to the earliest attested stage of the Indo-Aryan languages. The oldest surviving text in an Old Indo-Aryan language is the Vedic Sanskrit of the Rigveda, dating to around 1000 BCE. These languages are part of the larger Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. Middle Indo-Aryan languages, which followed Old Indo-Aryan, are characterized by a reduction in the complexities found in the older stage.123

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Indo-Aryan languages
General characteristics
Old Indo-Aryan includes different dialects and linguistic states that are referred to in common as Sanskrit. The most archaic Old Indo-Aryan is found in Hindu sacred texts called the Vedas, which date to approximately 1500 bce. There is a clear-cut difference between Vedic and post-Vedic…
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Old Indo-Aryan includes different dialects and linguistic states that are referred to in common as Sanskrit. The most archaic Old Indo-Aryan is found in Hindu sacred texts called the Vedas, which date to approximately 1500 bce. There is a clear-cut difference between Vedic and post-Vedic…
Read More