Ahom language

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classification of Tai languages

In Tai languages: The distribution and classification of Tai languages
Ahom, an extinct language once spoken in Assam (India), has a considerable amount of literature. The Tai languages are divided into three linguistic groups—the Southwestern, the Central, and the Northern. Thai and Lao, the official languages of Thailand and Laos, respectively, are the best known…
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introduction of prose chronicles

In South Asian arts: Assamese
…16th century, while in the Ahom language they are much earlier.
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Avestan language

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Avestan language

Also known as: Zend language

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Also called:: (incorrectly) Zend Language

Key People:: A.-H. Anquetil-Duperron; James Darmesteter; A.V. Williams Jackson

Related Topics:: extinct language

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Avestan language, eastern Iranian language of the Avesta, the sacred book of Zoroastrianism. Avestan falls into two strata, the older being that of the Gāthās, which reflects a linguistic stage (dating from c. 600 bc) close to that of Vedic Sanskrit in India. The greater part of the Avesta is written in a more recent form of the language and shows gradual simplification and variation in grammatical forms. When the canon of the Avesta was being fixed (4th to 6th century ad), Avestan was a dead language known only to priests. It probably ceased to be used as an everyday spoken tongue about 400 bc, but the sacred word was passed down through oral tradition. Avestan was written in a script evolved from late Pahlavi writing, which, in turn, derived from Aramaic.