3. The Basic Problems of the Philosophy of Language

The Indian approach to the study of language has been characterised by both analysis and synthesis. The study of language essentially requires a process of analysis in which the speech utterance is analysed in terms of sentences and words, stems and suffixes, morphemes and phonemes^[1]. The earlier reference regarding the language analysis can be seen in Taittirīyasaṃhitā. It says that once Gods (devas) requested Lord Indra to analyse speech and on behalf of their request, he performed the duty. Since then, the speech is called vaikṛta or analysed (6.4.7). Śākalya's Padapāṭha of Ṛgveda is also one of the earlier attempts of language analysis. The Ṛgveda, originally in the saṃhitā form has been broken down into words in this Padapāṭha. In Bṛhaddevatā, Śaunaka defines a sentence as the group of words and words as the group of phonemes (2.117). We can find similar analytical methodology in Prātiśākhyas also. But the systematic analysis of speech begins from the time of Yāska, who analysed the speech on the basis of etymology.

He was the first to divide language into four parts viz. nāma (noun), ākhyāta (verb), upasarga (prefixes) and nipāta (prepositions):

"tat yānyetāni catvāri padajātāni nāmākhyāte copasarganipātāśca",
  —(2002, p.3).

This fourfold analysis is accepted by almost all the later Indian systems of knowledge.

The whole system of Vyākaraṇa has been dedicated in the linguistic analysis of speech. Pāṇini, who propounded the descriptive grammar of Sanskrit language in his Aṣṭādhyāyī, has been praised by many modern linguists. Aṣṭādhyāyī is primarily concerned with building up of words from verbal roots, preverbs, primary and secondary suffixes and nominal and verbal terminations. This treatise also points out some syntactic problems involved in the formation of compound words and the relationship of the nouns in a sentence with the verb. The followers of the Pāṇinian School developed this analytical method of language study in their works.

The School of Mīmāṃsā is mainly concerned with the methodology of textual interpretation of the Vedic texts. Mīmāṃsakas use both analysis and synthesis in their approach to the problems of textual interpretation. They give the semantic definition of the sentence and introduce the concepts of ākāṅkṣā (mutual expectancy), yogyatā (consistency) and āsatti (congruity), which are necessary for the unity of the sentence. Naiyāyikas hold that śabda, uttered by a trustworthy person, is one of the means of valid knowledge. Therefore the method of language analysis has been occupied a prime position in their philosophy. Thus it is clear that the various schools in India have carried out significant studies, which have produced insights into the working of language (Harold G Coward and K Kunjunni Raja, 2008, p.5).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This analytical method is very popular in Sanskrit. Generally this method is considered as older, but some scholars like Punitha Sharma holds that it is a later development in the history of language (1998, p.12).