Indosphere

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Dark Orange: the Indian subcontinent, Light Orange: Other countries culturally linked to India, notably Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Malaysia, Yellow: Regions not included in Indosphere, but with significant current or historical Indian cultural influence, notably Afghanistan and Baluchistan region.

Indosphere is a term, defined as "a socio-political sphere subsuming those countries, cultures, and languages that have historically come under influence from the politics, culture, religion, and languages of India." Beyond the Indian subcontinent, mainland Southeast Asia was the other recipient center of Indian-influenced culture, literature, philosophy, political systems, architecture, music, and religion (Hinduism and Theravada Buddhism). The latter region includes notably: Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, although Indonesia and Malaysia too absorbed much Indian influence before the coming of Islam to Southeast Asia.

[edit] See also

• Sinosphere
• Anglosphere
• Greater India
• Undivided India
• Indies

[edit] Further reading

• Language variation: Papers on variation and change in the Sinosphere and in the Indosphere in honor of James A. Matisoff, David Bradley, Randy J. LaPolla and Boyd Michailovsky eds., pp. 113–144. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

[edit] External links

• Papers on variation and change in the Sinosphere and in the Indosphere in honour of James A. Matisoff
• Language diversity: Sinosphere vs. Indosphere
• Himalayan Languages Project
• Rethinking Tibeto-Burman -- Lessons from Indosphere
• Areal linguistics and Mainland Southeast Asia

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