Vedic and Sanskrit Historical Linguistics


Book Description

This volume contains 10 articles based on papers presented at the Linguistics sessions of the 13th World Sanskrit Conference (Edinburgh, July 2006) and shows the engagement of scholars with all aspects of Vedic Grammar, including phonology, inflectional and derivational morphology, syntax, semantics, lexicography, and stylistics. In many cases the articles constitute integral parts of long-term research projects of their authors that are ongoing even at this date of publication and therefore present the broad sweep of the field of Vedic linguistics as it is currently being practiced. The contributions include two on phonology (Kobayashi and Kummel), two on morphology (Garcia Ramon and Tucker), three on syntax (Bubenik, Hettrich, and Hock), one on the semantics of tense and aspect (Dahl), one on lexicography (Krisch), and one on stylistics (Klein). In several instances these papers fit integrally into the research agendas of their authors, representing parts of larger projects reflected in recent publications (Bubenik, Dahl, Garcia Ramon, Hettrich, Klein, Kobayashi) or deal with issues touched on repeatedly by their authors over a number of years (Hock). In one case (Krisch), the work announced has in the interim begun to appear and represent a broad reflection of research projects currently underway in Sanskrit Linguistics. That all but one of the papers focus exclusively on Vedic is simply a reflection of the reality that in Western countries the study of Sanskrit has frequently been treated as an entree to Indo-European linguistics, and it is especially the oldest texts that have been mined for whatever nuggets they can yield relative to our understanding of the proto-language. Already Published :- Vol. I : Scientific Literature in Sanskrit - Eds. S.R. Sarma & Gyula Wojtilla Vol. II : Battle, Bards and Brahmins - Ed. John Brockington




Sanskrit & Prakrit, Sociolinguistic Issues


Book Description

This volume brings together eight contributions of Professor Madhav M. Deshpande relating to the historical sociolinguistics of sanskrit and Prakrit languages. The studies brought together here represent his continuing research in this field after his 1979 book: Sociolinguistic Attitudes in India: An Historical Reconstruction. The main thrust of these studies is to show that patterns of language, including grammatical theories are deeply influenced by political, religious, geographical, and other sociohistorical factors. This is true as much of ancient languages as it is for modern languages.




Principles of Historical Linguistics


Book Description

Historical linguistic theory and practice consist of a large number of chronological "layers" that have been accepted in the course of time and have acquired a permanence of their own. These range from neogrammarian conceptualizations of sound change, analogy, and borrowing, to prosodic, lexical, morphological, and syntactic change, and to present-day views on rule change and the effects of language contact. To get a full grasp of the principles of historical linguistics it is therefore necessary to understand the nature of each of these "layers". This book is a major revision and reorganization of the earlier editions and adds entirely new chapters on morphological change and lexical change, as well as a detailed discussion of linguistic palaeontology and ideological responses to the findings of historical linguistics to this landmark publication.







Ideology and Status of Sanskrit


Book Description

The present volume contains studies of crucial periods and important areas in the history of the Sanskrit language, from the earliest, Vedic and pre-Vedic periods, through the period of "Greater India," up to the recent history of Sanskrit in India.







Principles of Historical Linguistics


Book Description

Historical linguistic theory and practice consist of a large number of chronological "layers" that have been accepted in the course of time and have acquired a permanence of their own. These range from neogrammarian conceptualizations of sound change, analogy, and borrowing, to prosodic, lexical, morphological, and syntactic change, and to present-day views on rule change and the effects of language contact. To get a full grasp of the principles of historical linguistics it is therefore necessary to understand the nature of each of these "layers". This book is a major revision and reorganization of the earlier editions and adds entirely new chapters on morphological change and lexical change, as well as a detailed discussion of linguistic palaeontology and ideological responses to the findings of historical linguistics to this landmark publication.




The Ashṭādhyāyī of Pāṇini


Book Description

Panini's Ashtadhyayi represents the first attempt in the history of the world to describe and analyse the components of a language on scientific lines. It has not only been universally acclaimed as the first and foremost specimen of Descriptive Grammar but has also been the chief source of inspiration for the linguist engaged in describing languages of different regions. To understand Sanskrit language, and especially that part of it which embodies the highest aspirations of ancient Aryan people, viz., the Brahmanas, Samhitas, Upanisads, it is absolutely necessary to have a complete knowledge of the grammar elaborated by Panini. Being a masterpiece of reasoning and artistic arrangement its study is bound to cultivate intellectual powers. Western scholars have described it as a wonderful specimen or a notable manifestation of Indian intelligence. This book is an English translation of Ashtadhyayi in two volumes and has won a unique position in the world of scholarship.




A Grammar of Epic Sanskrit


Book Description

The two great epics of (old) India, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, are written in a language, which differs from so-called classical Sanskrit in many details. Both texts still are of an enormous importance in India and other countries. Because of this, a grammar describing all the different characteristics of epic Sanskrit has been missed until now. The Grammar of Epic Sanskrit will now close this gap.




The Emergence of Semantics in Four Linguistic Traditions


Book Description

The aim of this study is a comparative analysis of the role of semantics in the linguistic theory of four grammatical traditions, Sanskrit, Hebrew, Greek, Arabic. If one compares the organization of linguistic theory in various grammatical traditions, it soon turns out that there are marked differences in the way they define the place of ‘semantics’ within the theory. In some traditions, semantics is formally excluded from linguistic theory, and linguists do not express any opinion as to the relationship between syntactic and semantic analysis. In other traditions, the whole basis of linguistic theory is semantically orientated, and syntactic features are always analysed as correlates of a semantic structure. However, even in those traditions, in which semantics falls explicitly or implicitly outside the scope of linguistics, there may be factors forcing linguists to occupy themselves with the semantic dimension of language. One important factor seems to be the presence of a corpus of revealed/sacred texts: the necessity to formulate hermeneutic rules for the interpretation of this corpus brings semantics in through the back door.