The Concept of Sentence and Meaning

Definition and sense of the “meaning” were a great concern for the Indian thinkers. In order to finalize this, they have examined all the components of a communicative unit such as syllables, words, sentences and intentions of the speakers. After this examination, different philosophers, specifically, MÁmÀÚsakas, NaiyÀyikas and ŒÀbdikas have arrived at the conclusion that sentence is an essential component to convey the sense of meaning to the listener. The theory of akhaõçavÀkya is based on the indivisible sphoÇa theory and the sentence-meaning is experienced by the concept of pratibhÀ. The division of sentence as per the priority of words occurred on the basis of mutual expectancy by which the intended meaning may be assumed by the listener.


The VÀkyapadÁya of Bhart¦hari (sixth century) is a text which elaborately explains the notions on sentence. The book systematically presents the philosophical dimensions of grammatical units. The author has attempted to present the philosophy of language in a Bhart¦harian perspective. To substantiate his views, syntactic and semantic thoughts in India are elaborately discussed.


Though the significance of the work can only be understood by those scholars who are well versed in HelÀrÀja and PuõyarÀja, it will, undoubtedly, remain an asset to the field of grammatical deliberations.