Vakyapadiya (study of the concept of Sentence)
by Sarath P. Nath | 2018 | 36,088 words
This page relates ‘The Concept of Language: Indian Perspectives’ of the study on Vakyapadiya by Bhartrhari and his treatment of the Concept of Sentence in Language. Bhartrhari was a great grammarian and philosopher who explored the depth and breadth of Sanskrit grammar. These pages analyse the concepts and discussions on sentence and sentence-meaning presented in the Vakyapadiya, against the different systems of knowledge prevalent in ancient India (such as Mimamsa, Nyaya and Vyakarana).
1. The Concept of Language: Indian Perspectives
Language can be defined as the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structural and conventional way[1]. The word language has its origin from the Old French word 'langage' and from the Latin word 'lingua'. The word lingua in Latin signifies 'tongue'. Thus the word 'language' simply denotes the human interaction, which involves gestures and spoken or written words. A human being thinks, and as a necessary corollary of his thinking, he wishes to communicate the ideas conceived. Language, as a tool of communication, achieves its goal, when the listener understands what the speaker intends to convey. Thus, thought and language are the two characteristics that differentiate man from animals. Aldous Huxley states that ''for in spite of language, in spite of intelligence and intuition and sympathy, one can never really communicate anything to anybody" (2007, p.3). Harold G Coward rightly observes that language is a fascinating aspect of human behaviour and it not only makes distinction between man and animals, but mediates human knowledge also (1980, p.1). Thus, language can rather be perceived as the very essence of thought, than a mere tool of communication.
Language has been one of the fundamental concerns of Indian schools of thought and has attracted the serious attention of all thinkers from the outset. They perceived language as one of the most precious gift given by god to human beings (" samskṛtam nāma daivī vāganvākhyātā maharṣibhiḥ", Kāvyādarṣa, 1.33). All knowledge from the time immemorial had been handed over to us in the form of language.
Bhartṛhari also mentions that there is no cognition without the operation of the word and all knowledge is illuminated by language.
na so' sti pratyayo loke yaḥ śabdānugamādṛte
anuviddhamiva jñānam sarvam śabdena bhāsate (Vākyapadīya, 1.123)
Thus, it can be stated that the ancient preceptors were aware of the importance of language in our social life. In the study of language, they tried to deal with various vexed questions like What is language? What is its structure? How can it be analysed? etc. They have been endeavoured to solve these problems according to the basic norms of their philosophies.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Cf. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/language