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140151 UE A First Introduction into Panini's Grammar (2018S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 14 - Orientalistik, Afrikanistik, Indologie und Tibetologie
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 36 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Day, time and place are yet to be settled. They will be finalized through email exchanges with the registered students.

  • Thursday 01.03. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 08.03. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 15.03. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 22.03. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 12.04. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 19.04. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 26.04. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 03.05. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 17.05. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 24.05. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 07.06. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 14.06. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 21.06. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Thursday 28.06. 12:00 - 13:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Contents

The Sanskrit grammar of Pāṇini (ca. 4th century BCE), the Aṣṭādhyāyī (``The Eight Lessons''), has been studied, commented and admired for more than two millenia, in India and beyond. In Sanskrit literature, regardless of their specific religious or philosophical inclination, authors consistently quoted Pāṇini as the ultimate authority on grammatical matters, referring to him as bhagavān, ``the blessed one'', with utmost respect. The impact of the Pāṇinian approach has reached modern linguistics as well, for instance in Ferdinand de Saussure's concept of ``zero suffix'' or in the morphological theory of Leonard Bloomfield, who characterized the Aṣṭādhyāyī as ``one of the greatest monuments of human intelligence''. The study of the Sanskrit language through Pāṇinian grammar has been central to the intellectual life of Sanskrit students and scholars up to the present days and it has provided Sanskrit scholars the dominant model for how to think rigorously and logically. But what is so unique about Pāṇini's achievement? With his grammar, Pāṇini basically performed two tasks: he provided a detailed and consistent analysis of Sanskrit as an inflected language, and he laid down rules for the formation of virtually any linguistic expression in both the classical and vedic forms of Sanskrit. Even more astonishingly, he managed to capture the complexity of the language within just about 4000 terse sūtras (aphorisms).

Method

This course will introduce the students to Pāṇini’s work by means of a gradual study of the first section (pāda) of the Aṣṭādhyāyī, consisting of 76 sūtras. We will examine, clarify and discuss the sūtras in the light of the Kāśikāvṛtti of Vāmana and Jayāditya (7th century CE). We will also learn about the importance of the Mahābhāṣya of Patañjali (ca. 150 BCE), of the Vākyapadīya of Bhartṛhari (ca. 5th century CE), the great philosopher of grammar, and of the most popular abridgments and manuals of the Aṣṭādhyāyī, studied in more recent times. During the course the students will be also asked to prepare a presentation on selected secondary literature.

Aims
• Learning new skills in the morphological analysis of Sanskrit words.
• Familiarizing with the technical jargon of the Pāṇinian system.
• Understanding the main metarules governing the system.
• Developing the ability to recognize, decode and research quotations from the Vyākaraṇa discipline.
• Appreciating the impact of Pāṇini on modern linguistics.

Assessment and permitted materials

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

The course will be taught in English and will be adapted to the skill level of the students. We will read several passages from the original Sanskrit, so basic Sanskrit knowledge and Devanāgarī reading skills are required. The lexicon of the grammatical literature, however, is rather limited, so no particular lexical proficiency is needed.

The assessment will be done on the basis of homework and activity during the lessons (50%) and of a final written test (50%)

Examination topics

The first section of the Aṣṭādhyāyī

Reading list

Abhyankar, Kashinath Vasudev and Jaydev Mohanlal Shukla (1986). A dictionary of Sanskrit grammar. 3 rd ed. (1 st 1961). Baroda: Oriental Institute.
G. Coward, Harold and K. Kunjunni Raja, eds. (2001 (1990)). Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies. Vol. 5. The philosophy of the Grammarians. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
Katre, Sumitra Mangesh, ed. (1989). Aṣṭādhyāyī of Pāṇini. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
Prahlad Giri, Svami, ed. (1985). Aṣṭādhyāyīsūtrapāṭha of Pāṇini. Varanasi: Kṛṣṇadāsa Academy.
Shobhitamishra, Pandit, ed. (1952). Kāśikā. Varanasi: Chaukhamba Sanskrit Pustakalaya.
Staal, Frits, ed. (1972). A Reader on the Sanskrit Grammarians. Cambridge, MA, and London: MIT Press.
Vasu, Śriṣa Candra, ed. (1977). The Aṣṭādhyāyī of Pāṇini. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.

Association in the course directory

MASK6b (UEb)-SL

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:34