Page:An introduction to Dravidian philology.djvu/116

Rh three stages of transformation. The first stage is represented by the Primary Prakrits, one of which, that of the Madhyadesa, crystallized into Sanskrit and the rest developed in their natural way according to phonetic laws giving rise to what are called the Secondary Frakrits. One of these again, at an early age attained a literary position and under the name of Pali has been widely studied. At a later stage, other Prakrits of this group also were cultivated and reduced to a standard, as for example, by the Jains and others, both for secular and religious purposes. Those that still remained underwent a further natural change and went by the name Apabhramsa. But some Apabhramsa dialects themselves received literary cultivation, and the rest proceeded on their course of development giving rise to the Tertiary Prakrits which gave rise to the modern Indo-Aryan languages.