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HEMACHANDRA'S THEORY OF LITERATURE
Differentia of Literature
It is quite significant that at the very outset of his work. Hemachandra should touch upon the differentia of Literature. While pointing out the interconnection between his Sabdanuśāsana and Kavyānušāsana, our author mentions that, while the former work discusses 'Correct Speech', the latter work treats of the 'Poetic aspect of language' in its correct form. Here we cannot fail to notice that this distinction between the correct speech or the language of ordinary parlance as well as of the scientific treatises and the poetic speech (Kaver Bhārati) is aesthetically very important. Linguistic Dualism
To begin with, Hemachandra's 'Correct Speech' represents that aspect of language which possesses formal completeness and relates to the connection between vocabulary and perception. This is the language that serves the purpose of social communication quite well. And it thus becomes a fit medium of concepts about things and its vocables acquire the capacity to denote a number of things and ideas. This is the literal or denotative aspect of languages which helps the scientist to communicate or express his idea of the world. There is another aspect of this 'correct speech' which, when it represents different modes of thought, acquires a metaphoric character.
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