Śabda Reader

Language in Classical Indian Thought

AvJohannes Bronkhorst

Inbunden, Engelska, 2019

Del i serien Historical Sourcebooks in Classical Indian Thought

753 kr

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Beskrivning

Language (śabda) occupied a central yet often unacknowledged place in classical Indian philosophical thought. Foundational thinkers considered topics such as the nature of language, its relationship to reality, the nature and existence of linguistic units and their capacity to convey meaning, and the role of language in the interpretation of sacred writings. The first reader on language in—and the language of—classical Indian philosophy, A Śabda Reader offers a comprehensive and pedagogically valuable treatment of this topic and its importance to Indian philosophical thought.A Śabda Reader brings together newly translated passages by authors from a variety of traditions—Brahmin, Buddhist, Jaina—representing a number of schools of thought. It illuminates issues such as how Brahmanical thinkers understood the Veda and conceived of Sanskrit; how Buddhist thinkers came to assign importance to language’s link to phenomenal reality; how Jains saw language as strictly material; the possibility of self-contradictory sentences; and how words affect thought. Throughout, the volume shows that linguistic presuppositions and implicit notions about language often play as significant a role as explicit ideas and formal theories. Including an introduction that places the texts and ideas in their historical and cultural context, A Śabda Reader sheds light on a crucial aspect of classical Indian thought and in so doing deepens our understanding of the philosophy of language.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2019-03-19
Mått:178 x 254 x 31 mm
Vikt:848 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Historical Sourcebooks in Classical Indian Thought
Antal sidor:376
Förlag:Columbia University Press
ISBN:9780231189408

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Mer om författaren

Johannes Bronkhorst is professor emeritus of Sanskrit and Indian studies at the University of Lausanne. He is the author of a number of books, including Buddhist Teaching in India (2009) and How the Brahmins Won: From Alexander to the Guptas (2016).

Recensioner i media

Johannes Bronkhorst is a master of the field of Indian theories of language, and he brings his lifelong expertise to provide comprehensive coverage and lucid access to scientific thinking about language from Sanskrit classics including traditions of Sanskrit grammarians, Buddhist and Jain philosophers, Yoga, Vedānta, Mīmāṃsā, Hindu logicians, and Sanskrit poetics. A Śabda Reader is going to become essential reading for anyone interested in Indian theories of language.

Innehållsförteckning

PrefacePart I. IntroductionGeneral Observations About Philosophy in India1. The Brahmanical Background2. Buddhist Thought: Source of Inspiration3. The Grammarian Patanjali4. The Special Place of Sanskrit and the Veda5. Self-Contradictory Sentences6. Do Words Affect Cognition?7. Words and Sentences8. Other Denotative Functions of the WordPart II. Reader1. The Brahmanical Background2. Buddhist Thought: Source of Inspiration3. The Grammarian Patanjali4. The Special Place of Sanskrit and the Veda5. Self-Contradictory Sentences6. Do Words Affect Cognition?7. Words and Sentences8. Other Denotative Functions of the Word Index of Translated PassagesThe Texts and Their DatesChronological Table of Authors and WorksEditions UsedTechnical Terms and Their Equivalents in EnglishAbbreviationsNotesReferencesIndex