Sanskritisation (language)
Sanskrit influence on other languages / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sanskritisation is the process of introducing features from Sanskrit, such as vocabulary and grammar, into other languages.[1] It is sometimes associated with the "Hindu-isation" of a linguistic community, or less commonly, with introducing a more upper-caste status into a community.[2][3] Many languages throughout South Asia and Southeast Asia were greatly influenced by Sanskrit (or its descendant languages, the Prakrits and modern-day Indo-Aryan languages) historically.[4][5][6]
Sanskritisation often stands in opposition to the Persianisation or Englishisation of a language within South Asia,[7][8] as occurs with the Hindustani language, which in its Sanskritised, Persianised, and English-influenced registers becomes Hindi, Urdu, and Hinglish respectively.[9][10][11] Support for Sanskritisation in South Asia runs highest among Brahmins and Hindu nationalists.[12]
Sanskritization of the names of people and places is also commonplace in India, except in many areas like Tamil Nadu.[13][14][15]