Chapter 10
The internal order of Sanskrit compounds
A dialogue between Pāṇini and generative grammar
In this study I show that the internal order of Sanskrit Noun-Noun endocentric compounds cannot be
captured by means of the notion ‘head’, defined in semantic or morphological terms (§§1–2). Next, I outline the strategy devised by the Indian
grammarian Pāṇini (4th century B.C.) to handle the internal order of Sanskrit compounds (§ 3). Finally, I argue that the notion relevant for determining the internal order of
Noun-Noun endocentric compounds in Sanskrit can be identified by combining Pāṇini’s intuitions with the formalism
developed within generative grammar (§ 4). In this way, this study provides
an additional example of how useful the history of linguistics (specifically, the study of Pāṇini’s grammar) may be
for solving a problem in contemporary linguistics (specifically, the puzzle as to how the internal order of a certain
class of compounds is determined).
Article outline
- 1.Heads and the internal order of compounds
- 2.Compounding in Sanskrit
- 3.The upasarjana in Pāṇini’s model of compounding
- 4.A geometrical approach
- 5.Conclusion
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Acknowledgments
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Notes
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References
