[Query] Was Sanskrit ever spoken by "all"?

[Richard Salomon]

I have discussed this subject, or at least some issues related to it, in an 
article entitled "On 
drawing socio-linguistic distinctions in Old Indo-Aryan: The Question of 
K.satriya Sanskrit and related problems," in the just-published book The 
Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia: Language, Material Culture and 
Ethnicity, ed. George Erdosy (Berlin/NY: de Gruyteer, 1995),  293-306.

RS

On Wed, 21 Feb 1996, Sreenivas Paruchuri wrote:

> Greetings!
> 
> I have a couple of questions on the evolution of language(s) in todays India.
> 
> a) Was Sanskrit spoken by the common folk also in olden days? I mean other
> than the priests and the elite (?) in the society?
> 
> b) If not, what did the common folk speak?
> 
> Could you pl. recommend me some monographs/publications on this subject!
> 
> Herzlichen Dank!
> 
> mit freundlichen Gruessen,
> Sreenivas
> 
>