A case of Vyākaraic oxymoro: the notion of Anvarthasajñā
Author: Aussant, Emilie1
Source: Journal of Indian Philosophy, Volume 35, Number 2, April 2007 , pp. 133-147(15)
Publisher: Springer
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Abstract:
The anvartha-sajñā compound associates two contradictory terms: anvartha, which means “[used] in conformity with his [etymological/first] meaning”, and sajñā which implies the idea of a convention; it therefore appears to be quite intriguing. The question is: is it relevant to focus on this contradiction or is it only a false problem? The aim of this paper is to answer the above question and this implies to grasp somewhat better the use of this notion by the Pāinian grammarians. To do so, the author has studied the main texts of the Pāinian tradition, having in mind the following questions: did the Pāinian grammarians deal with this notion and, if so, in what terms? Did they perceive the contradiction raised by the association of the terms anvartha and samjñā? The study will show that this contradiction is only a false problem: according to the Pāinian grammarians quoted above, even when a sajñā is provided with an etymological/first meaning and its bearer (or one of its properties) is partly described by this meaning, this sajñā belongs, above all, to the domain of convention.Keywords: anvarthasajñā; vyākaraa; Pāinian grammatical tradition; metalanguage; conventional meaning; etymological meaning
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1007/s10781-007-9011-y
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