Abstract Book of the 8th World Conference on Social Sciences
Year: 2025
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Intersection of Sanskrit and Modern Theories on Word Meaning Acquisition
Rahul Kumar
ABSTRACT:
This study explores how ancient Indian linguistic theories intersect with modern psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic theories to understand the acquisition of word meaning. Modern studies suggest that word meaning acquisition is a dynamic process shaped by cognitive, social, statistical, and linguistic factors. Similarly, Sanskrit linguistic traditions describe various methods for learning word meanings by children or any individual, including grammar, analogy, lexicon, the statements of reliable individuals, the speech behavior of elders, association, and non-verbal factors such as context, space, and time. (Vākyapadīyam 2.317-318; Śabdaśaktiprakākāśikā 20).Some of the aforementioned methods of meaning acquisition share similarities with modern theories, which this paper aims to analyze in the following manner. Ancient Sanskrit scholars across various disciplines consider the speech behavior of elders (vṛddhavyavahāra) the most effective way to learn the meaning of words. Gangeśa observed that children learn the meaning of words by watching how elders speak, associating words like “cow” and “bring” with corresponding actions. Through repeated exposure and an unconscious process of assimilation and elimination (āvāpodvāpa), they infer word meanings. Matilal (1998) further explained that children must understand the intentions of elders, as shown by their bodily movements. Additionally, Mimāṁsakas, Naiyāyikās, and grammarians argued that children do not simply learn isolated words (Vyakti) but entire conceptual categories, such as understanding ‘cow’ as a general class (Jāti).Paul Ibbotson (2022), like ancient Sanskrit scholars, highlights the role of elders or caregivers in guiding the meaning acquisition process for the children. However, the Sanskrit scholars have ascribed such acquisition on the agency of the child in absence of purposeful adult instruction while Ibbotson provides for a deliberate attempt of instruction by the elders or caregivers. Similarly, Paul Bloom (2000), like Matilal, highlights the importance of recognizing the adults’ intentions but differs in the medium of such acquisition as Bloom places it in the cognitive capabilities of the child while Matilal posits the observation capabilities for understanding the intentions. Additionally, Peter Gärdenfors’ (2023) concept of “meaning domains” aligns with the Sanskrit perspective that words are learned within broader conceptual frameworks.
Keywords: Psycholinguistics, Neurolinguistics, Context, Meaning Domains, Vṛddhavyavahāra (Speech behavior of elders)