Paisaci (पैशाची)

Title	पैशाची Paisaci (पैशाची) Paiśācī Paisaci
Description	Paisaci (पैशाची), often called "Bhūtabhāṣa" (Language of the Ghouls), is an enigmatic and archaic Middle Indo-Aryan language famous for being the original medium of Gunadhya's lost epic, the Bṛhatkathā (The Great Narrative). While no extensive original texts survive, ancient grammarians like Vararuci and Hemachandra described its distinctive phonology, most notably the "devoicing" of voiced consonants (e.g., 'g' becomes 'k', 'd' becomes 't'). Historically, it is associated with the Vindhya mountains and supposedly spoken by the Piśāca tribes. Though treated as a literary Prakrit, identifying it with a specific historical region remains debated, with theories ranging from North-Western India (Dardic connection) to Central India. It represents a "fossilized" layer of Prakrit preserving archaic features while exhibiting unique phonetic shifts that give it a harder, staccato sound compared to the fluid Maharashtri Prakrit.
Alternate Names & Variants	Native Names: पैशाची भूतभाषा पैशाची प्राकृत Indic Names: पैशाची पैशाचिकी English Names: Paisaci Paishachi Paisaci Prakrit Bhuta-Bhasha Alternate Names: Bhūtabhāṣa Language of Ghouls Apabhramsha (archaic usage)
Language ID	`INHF-LNG-9384752161-12:00:00:07:01:26-PISC`
URI	https://www.inheritage.foundation/aat/language/paisaci
API URL	`https://inheritage.foundation/api/v1/aat/languages/paisaci`
Language Family	Indo-Aryan(Middle Indo-Aryan > Dardic (Hypothetical) / Pisaca)
Status	Extinct / Literary / Reconstructed
ISO Codes	ISO 639-3: `mis`
Glottolog Code	`pais1238`
Wikidata URI	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3360645
Regions	Vindhyas North-West India (Gandhara) Pandya Region (South - disputed)
Time Periods	1st Century BCE - 5th Century CE Mauryan Era Satavahana Era
Dynasties	Satavahana (via Gunadhya legend)
Script Associations	Brahmi Devanagari (Modern) Sarada (Hypothetical)
Related Languages	Pali Shauraseni Dardic languages (Kashmiri, Shina) Romani (hypothetical link)
Literary Works	Bṛhatkathā (Lost) Verses in Sanskrit Dramas (e.g. Mudrarakshasa) Kuvalayamala (Jain text passages)

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Language Structure

Atomic Level

Character Set (10)

Pronunciation Guide

IPA: Distinguished by the Hardening (Devoicing) of soft consonants. Voiced stops (g, j, d, d, b) become voiceless (k, c, t, t, p).

Description: The hallmark of Paisaci is 'Pishacha-Nyaya' or the logic of the ghouls: hardening all sounds. G becomes K, J becomes C, D becomes T, B becomes P. This gives the language a staccato, hard sound compared to the fluid Prakrits like Maharashtri. Sibilants typically merge to Dental S (स), unlike Magadhi's Palatal Ś (श). The retroflex N (ण) typically becomes dental N (न).

Stress: Similar to Standard Prakrit, stress is likely penultimate or antepenultimate depending on syllable weight.

Tone: Non-tonal.

Phonetic Inventory

Vowels:

long:

आ /aː/

ई /iː/

ऊ /uː/

ए /eː/

ओ /oː/

short:

अ /ə/

इ /i/

उ /u/

Consonants:

nasals:

न /n/

म /m/

ञ /ɲ/

liquids:

र /r/

ल /l/

ळ /ɭ/

sibilants:

स /s/

stops_voiced:

stops_voiceless:

क /k/

ख /kʰ/

च /c/

छ /cʰ/

ट /ʈ/

ठ /ʈʰ/

त /t/

थ /tʰ/

प /p/

फ /pʰ/

Molecular Level

Elemental Level

Grammar Overview

Word Order

SOV (Subject-Object-Verb)

Example Sentences (21)

अहं नकरं कच्छामि

ahaṃ nakaraṃ kacchāmi

I go to the city

Aham Nagaram Gacchami -> Aham Nakaram Kacchami

Application of devoicing rules: g->k, g->k

तेवो ककनै विहरति

tevo kakane viharati

God roams in the sky

Devo Gagane Viharati -> Tevo Kakane Viharati

Application of devoicing: d->t, g->k

पालको दुक्खं पिवति

pālako dukkhaṃ pivati

The boy drinks milk

Balakah Dugdham Pibati -> Palako Tukkham Pivati

B->P, D->T, Pibati->Pivati

सालायां कुरु पाठेति

sālāyāṃ kuru pāṭheti

The teacher teaches in the school

Salayam Guru Pathayati -> Salayam Kuru Pataheti

g->k

मथु महुरं अस्ति

mathu mahuraṃ asti

Honey is sweet

Madhu Madhuram Asti -> Mathu Mahuram Asti (dh -> th/h)

Intervocalic dh often becomes th or h

फकवतः कोपः मा अस्तु

phakavataḥ kopaḥ mā astu

Let there be no anger of the Lord

Bhagavatah Kopah Ma Astu -> Phakavatah Kopah Ma Astu

Bh -> Ph, g -> k

अहं पिशाचभासां वतामि

ahaṃ piśācabhāsāṃ vatāmi

I speak the Paisaci language

Aham Pisacabhasam Vadami -> Aham Pisacabhasam Vatami

Vadami -> Vatami (d->t)

तस्स वचनं सुत्त्वा राचा तुट्ठो

tassa vacanaṃ suttvā rācā tuṭṭho

Hearing his words, the king was pleased

Tasya Vacanam Srutva Raja Tushtah -> Tassa Vacanam Suttva Raca Tuttho

j->c, Assimilation of clusters

कचो वनं धावति

kaco vanaṃ thāvati

The elephant runs to the forest

Gaja Vanam Dhavati -> Kaca Vanam Thavati

Gaja -> Kaca, Dhavati -> Thavati

माता पुत्तस्स अन्नं तताति

mātā puttassa annaṃ tatāti

Mother gives food to the son

Mata Putraya Annam Dadati -> Mata Puttassa Annam Tatati

Dadati -> Tatati

सूरियो पुव्वदिसं उतेति

sūriyo puvvadisaṃ uteti

The sun rises in the east

Suryah Purvadisam Udeti -> Suriyo Puvvadisam Uteti

Udeti -> Uteti

सब्त्रे पवन्तु सुखिनो

sabbve pavantu sukhino

May all be happy

Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah -> Sabbve Pavantu Sukhino

Sarve -> Sabbe/Sabbve, Bhavantu -> Pavantu

सीहो मियं हन्ति

sīho miyaṃ hanti

The lion kills the deer

Simha Mrigam Hanti -> Siho Miyam Hanti

Mriga -> Miga/Miya

त्त्वं किं करोसि?

ttvaṃ kiṃ karosi?

What are you doing?

Tvam Kim Karoshi -> Ttvam Kim Karosi

Sibilant merger Sh -> S

तत्र एको महन्तो विक्खो अत्थि

tatra eko mahanto vikkho atthi

There is a great tree

Tatra Eka Mahan Vriksha Asti -> Tatra Eko Mahanto Vikkho Atthi

Vriksha -> Vikkho/Vaccho, Asti -> Atthi

नतीनां चलं सीतलं

natīnāṃ calaṃ sītalaṃ

The river water is cold

Nadinam Jalam Sitalam -> Natinam Calam Sitalam

Nadi -> Nati, Jala -> Cala

कुस्स सिक्खं सुणोहि

kurussa sikkhaṃ suṇohi

Listen to the teacher's lesson

Guroh Shiksham Shrunu -> Kurussa Sikkham Sunohi

Guru -> Kuru, Shiksha -> Sikkha

अहं तं पुट्ठवान्

ahaṃ taṃ puṭṭhavān

I asked him

Aham Tam Prishtavan -> Aham Tam Putthavan

Prishta -> Puttha

सो तत्थ गतो

so tattha gato

He went there

Sa Tatra Gatah -> So Tattha Gato (Note: G often remains G in certain past participles in weaker variants, but strict rule makes it Kato)

Strict form: So Tattha Kato

यथा राचा तथा पचा

yathā rācā tathā pacā

As the king, so the people

Yatha Raja Tatha Praja -> Yatha Raca Tatha Paca

Raja -> Raca, Praja -> Paca

तम्मो एव हतो हन्ति

thammo eva hato hanti

Dharma destroys the destroyer

Dharma Eva Hato Hanti -> Thammo Eva Hato Hanti

Dharma -> Thamma

Evidence

Ancient Grammatical Treatises

Fragments:

Vararuci Prakrita Prakasha (Ch 10)

Hemachandra Siddha-Hema-Shabdanushasana

Lakshmidhara Sadbhasacandrika

Primary evidence comes from sutras describing rules like 'G-D-B-J-M -> K-T-P-C' substitutions.

Normalized: 1/7/2026

Brihatkatha Legacy

Fragments:

Kathasaritsagara (Somadeva)

Brihatkathamanjari (Kshemendra)

Brihatkathaslokasamgraha (Buddhasvamin)

These Sanskrit texts explicitly state they are translations or summaries of Gunadhya's original Paisaci epic.

Normalized: 1/7/2026

Sanskrit Dramas

Fragments:

Mudrarakshasa

Mrichchhakatika

Certain characters in classical dramas speak in dialects labelled as Paisaci or Magadhi-Paisaci variants.

Normalized: 1/7/2026

Alternate Names & Variants

Paisaci

Paiśācī

Paishachi

Bhūtabhāṣa

Language of Ghouls

Gunadhya

Brihatkatha

Bṛhatkathā

Lumpa

Pisaca

Pandya Paisaci

Sulocana

Pishacha

Ghost Language

Archaic Prakrit

Dardic-Prakrit

पैशाची

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Language Structure

Atomic Level

Character Set (10)

Pronunciation Guide

Phonetic Inventory

Molecular Level

Example Words (26)

Numbers (Reconstructed) (11)

Nature (Devoiced) (10)

Body Parts (8)

Family (7)

Animals (8)

Food (8)

Religious (7)

Adjectives (6)

Common Phrases (9)

Elemental Level

Grammar Overview

Word Order

Example Sentences (21)

Evidence

Alternate Names & Variants