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Vol. XXXVI, 2013
Issues of Philosophy of Language in Jaina Philosophy
37
signifier conveys signified as the similarity (sādrśyatā) relates signifier and signified. Thus, the word expresses meaning not because of the eternal relationship between them, but it expresses meaning on the basis of similarity. Like the word gau expresses meaning 'cow', because the reason is similarity. Gau which has been spoken in past is different to present word gau but still both have some similarity. On the basis of these similarities, cow is apprehended.
There are two views regarding how do words express meaning - Is it natural capacity or is it developed capacity ?
1. Word has natural relationship with its meaning. It expresses meaning
spontaneously, without any effort. Every word is connected with its
meaning since the beginning. 2. Śabda has no natural capacity of expressing meaning. Meaning is applied
on the word through the conventional relation and other external elements.
Jaina darśana admits both concepts from different point of view. Meaning can be got through the root verb (dhātvārtha). On the other side, many words can be known by the rudi. Thus, there are some words which are vyutpattiparaka and some words are rudārtha. Jaina accepts three theories for the determination of meaning. . Sahaja yogyatā (svābhāvika sakti).
2. Saṁketa 3. Samaya (paramparā/prayoga)16.
When a statement possesses more than one meaning of the one word, in that case meaning is determined according to the context and intention of speaker. The famous example of saindhava refers salt for the eating man. Jaina darśana includes paradox elements, sāmānya or višesa in meaning Accordingly, sāmānya and višesa are the inevitable part of each other. The word does not denote only sāmānya or visesa, it denotes both. Theoretically, both seem to be different entities but at pragmatic level they are not separate from each other. 'Particular' or 'universal cannot exist alone without each other. No man can be lived without the manness and manness cannot be lived without man. Besides this, some words have only universal meaning or some words have particular meaning only, like man has universal meaning and individual has particular meaning.
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