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There are two respects in which Indian linguistic may be held to be superior
toWestern traditional grammar: first in phonetics, and second in the study of internal structure
of words. Indian gramatical studies seem to have had their origin inthe necessity of
preserving intact, not only the text, but also the pronounciation of the Vedic hymns, the
precise and accurate recitation of which is held to be essential to their efficacy in Hindu
ritual. The Indian classification of speech sound was more detailed, more accurate and more
soundly based upon observation and experiment than anything achieved in Europe (oe
elsewhere as far as we know) before the late nineteenth century, when the science of phoenics
in Europe was in fact strongly influenced by the discovery and translation of the Indian
linguistic treatises by Western scholars. In their analysis of words the Indian grammarians
went well beyond what might be thought necessary for the original purpose of preserving the
language of secred text. And Panini¶s grammar is not in fact specificially devoted to the
languange of the Vedic hymns, but to the languange of his own day.

Panini¶s grammar of Sanskrit has frequently been described,from the point of view of
its exhaustiveness (within the limits which it sets itself: i.e. mainly with regard to the
structure of words), its internal consistency and its economy of statement, as far superior to
any grammar af any language yet written. The main part of the grammar, which is a highly
technical work and can be interpreted only with the aid of the commentaries of his succesors,
consist of about 4,000 rules (some of them extremely short) and list of basic forms (µ roots µ),
to which references is made in the rules. The rules are ordered in sequence in such a way that
the scope of a particular rules is defined or restricted by the preceding rules. Further economy
is achieved by the use of abbreviations and symbols.

As we shall see in the following section, the discovery of Sanskrit by Western

scholars was one of the principal factors in the development of comparative philology in the
nineteenth century. This was not simply a matter of being brought into contact with the
Sanskrit language, but also of becoming acquainted with the Indian grammatical tradition.
There are many aspects of nineteeth-century linguistics which are clearly derived from the
practise or theory of the Indian grammarians. But the influence of Panini¶s principles
(exhaustiveness, consistency and economy) is to be seen even more clearly in some of the
most recent work in linguistics.
Tugas Menerjemahkan Pengantar Linguistik Umum

THE INDIAN TRADITION

Nama : Fitriani Muchtar

Nim : F 21110285

Kelas :C

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