Apabhraṃśa is a term used by Sanskrit grammarians since Patañjali to refer to dialects of North India that deviate from the norm of Sanskrit grammar. The term apabhraṃśa in Sanskrit literally means "corrupt" or "non-grammatical language". It is used as a cover term for the dialects forming the transition between the late Middle Indic and early Modern Indic languages (e.g. Brij Bhasha), spanning the period between the 6th and the 13th centuries, though some scholars use it more narrowly to refer primarily to the transition period[1], leaving the earlier part to the Middle Indo-Aryan languages.