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The Jaina Philosophy of Sentence : (85) expressing meaning. Therefore, it is more reasonable to regard a sentence as an absolute collection of relative terms. Theory of Sentence Meaning
How do we get the meaning of a sentence? There are different theories regarding the meaning of sentence in Indian philosophy. The Naiyāyikas and the Bhātta Mimāṁsakas propound the Abhihitānvayavāda (Denotation-relative theory). Against this theory, the Prabhākara School of Mimāṁsā establishes Anvitābhidhānavāda (Theory of concomitant expression).
After analysing these theories and evaluating them in the light of Jaina contention, we shall try to examine as to which theory would be more appropriate regarding the meaning of a sentence. Abhihitānvayavāda ( Denotation-relative theory) Speech is purposive in nature. People use words with the intention to convey a connected, unified sense. Hence, from the use of words in juxtaposition it is assumed that the speaker has uttered them with the intention of conveying a connected sense. The sentence is something more than the sum of the word meanings. Abhihitānvayavāda of Kumārila says that in a sentence, each word gives out its individual isolated meaning (which is universal) and their significative power is exhausted with that. Then with the help of laksaņā (secondary significative power) the syntactic relationship that of word and object is obtained and thus the sentence meaning is obtained. Thus, according to this theory, the meaningful terms themselves are the base of the sentence-meaning. In brief, it is by the denotation-power of the two terms that recognise the objects and then we comprehend the mutual relation between them by the intention of the speaker, i.e. by the speaker's use of appropriate preposition and conjunction (vibhakti). Afterwards, on the basis of the knowledge of the mutual relation of the terms, we comprehend the meaning of a sentence. This is the denotationrelative theory.
According to this theory, the sentence-meaning is obtained in three stages, viz. in first stage we get the cognition of objects after hearing the terms. Then in the second stage we understand the mutual relation
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