Dardic languages
| Dardic | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
Eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan (Gilgit Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), northern India (Jammu and Kashmir) |
| Linguistic classification: |
Indo-European
|
| Subdivisions: | |
| Glottolog: |
None indo1324 (Northwestern Zone) |
The Dardic languages (also Dardu or Pisaca) are a sub-group of the Indo-Aryan languages natively spoken in northern Pakistan's Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northern India's Jammu and Kashmir, and eastern Afghanistan.Kashmiri/Koshur is the most prominent Dardic language, with an established literary tradition and official recognition as one of the official languages of India.
The terms "Dardic" and "Dardistan" were coined by G. W. Leitner in the late 19th century, based on the Greek and Latin term Daradae for the people of the region (Daradas in Sanskrit). These terms are not in current use in the region.
George Abraham Grierson (1919), with scant data, postulated a family of "Dardic languages", which was characterised as an independent branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, separate from the Iranian and Indo-Aryan branches. His Dardic language family had three subfamilies, "Kafiri" (now called Nuristani), "Central" and "Dard" languages. Grierson's view is now considered obsolete and incorrect in its details. However, it continues to be often cited in works of reference.
Georg Morgenstierne (1961), after a "lifetime of study," came to the view that only the "Kafiri" (Nuristani) languages formed an independent branch of the Indo-Iranian languages separate from Indo-Aryan and Iranian families. On the other hand, he found the Dard languages to be Indo-Aryan. According to Morgenstierne,
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