Dardic languages

The Dardic languages (also Dardu or Pisaca), also known as Hindu-Kush Indo-Aryan languages, is an areal group of several northwestern Indo-Aryan languages spoken in northern Pakistan, northwestern India and northeastern Afghanistan. Rather than close linguistic or ethnic relationships, the term Dardic is a geographical concept, denoting the northwesternmost group of Indo-Aryan languages.

The region where Dardic languages are spoken has sometimes been referred to as Dardistan. There is no ethnic unity among the speakers of these languages, nor can the languages be traced to a single ancestor. The extinct Gandhari language, spoken in the ancient Gandhara, was Dardic in nature. Linguistic evidence has linked Gandhari with some living Dardic languages, particularly Torwali and other Kohistani languages.