Book Title: Nyaya And Jaina Epistemology
Author(s): Kokila H Shah
Publisher: Sharadaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

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Page 96
________________ COMMON SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE.... 79 1. Anvitābhidhāna theory (the theory of expression of correlated) According to this theory unitary sense which is the meaning of a sentence arises directly from the collection of words. There is an expression of the construed meaning of the sentence. Both the word-meaning and their mutual relations are conveyed by the words themselves. No additional factor than word meaning is needed to understand a sentence. Among Indian philosophers prabhākarMīmāmsakās and grammarians advocate this theory and among modern writers on linguistics Wundt represents this theory. 2. Abhihitānvaya theory (The theory of correlation of the expressed) According to this theory unitary sense which is the meaning of a sentence arises indirectly through the recollection of the meaning of the individual words that comprise it. The words convey only the individual wordmeaning and mutual relation is conveyed by the wordmeanings and not by the words. There is abhihitanvaya i. e. the construction of meanings as expressed in the words. This theory holds that the meaning of a sentence is a concatenation of the individual items expressed by words. First, we understand separate meanings, then we put together these meanings according to the four factorsexpectancy, proximity, fitness and intention and we know the meaning of a sentence. From the connection of word meanings we have cognition of the meaning of the sentence. It is by observing the use of words in each actual context of situation that we learn the meaning of words, e. g. child learns that way "A word indicates its meaning by rousing the mental impression of such contexts and hence the knowledge of the meaning of a word is only a kind of recollection".37 So word is a reminder of meaning. Word reminds us of the

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