Tiziana Pontillo, "How commentators rejected Pāṇini’s variationist system in their interpretation of Taddhita derivations"

Tiziana Pontillo 

Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Lettere, Lingue e Beni Culturali

How commentators rejected Pāṇini’s variationist system in their interpretation of Taddhita derivations

Abstract: In Pontillo 2013 I first proposed a fresh reading of A 2.1.1 samarthaḥ padavidhiḥ, which was different to the widely accepted explanation (see e.g. Katre 1987: 105; Cardona 1997: 66 § 109; Sharma 1995: vol. 3:1). I tried to show that for compounds, Taddhitas, Kṛts, and all other Vrttis this rule does not teach the constraint that the words involved in the respective source-phrases have to be in a “semantic and syntactic connection” (samartha). On the basis of the interpretation of padavidhi as “a provision that depends on padas” (and not as a provision pertaining to padas) – as advanced in Candotti & Pontillo 2004 – I further assumed that samarthaḥ in A 2.1.1 creates a variationist system between the phrase mentioned or hinted at in the wording of the single formation rule used to teach compounds, Taddhitas etc. and the output of these rules themselves. 

I consider that this variationist system is hierarchically superordinate to the optionality taught by vā, vibhāṣā, anyatarasyām highlighted by Kiparsky 1979. I thus restricted the domain of A 2.1.1 to types of word-formation which are actually taught by means of rules mentioning a string of padas. I will apply this hypothesis to the specific case of Taddhitas to try and understand why and how this variationist system, which was also explicitly introduced by A 4.1.82 samarthānām pathamād vā (according to Pontillo 2013), was rejected by commentators from Patañjali onwards.

References

• M.P. Candotti & T. Pontillo 2004, “Substitution as a descriptive model in Pāṇini 's grammar: towards an opposition between fonological and morphological level?”, in R. Ronzitti – G. Borghi (eds.), Atti del Secondo Incontro Genovese di Studi Vedici e Pāṇiniani (Genova, 23 luglio 2003-15 ottobre 2003), Recco: Le Mani, 1-45.
• Cardona, George. 19972. Pāṇini. His Work and Its Traditions. Vol 1. Background and Introduction. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
• S. Katre 1987. The Aṣṭādhyāyī of Pāṇini, Austin: University of Texas.
• P: Kiparsky. 1979. Pāṇini as a Variationist, ed. by S.D. Joshi, MIT Cambridge (Mass.)/Centre of Advanced Study in Sanskrit, University of Poona, Pune.
• T. Pontillo 2013, “‘Where the sense is intended although the corresponding speech unit is not employed:’ the ekaśeṣa case”, in G. Cardona (ed.), Vyākaraṇa Across the Ages. Proceedings of the 15th World Sanskrit Conference, Delhi 5-10 January 2012 (Vol. II: Vyākaraṇa Session), New Delhi: D.K. Printworld 107-143.
• R. N. Sharma (ed., tr.), The Aṣṭādhyāyī of Pāṇini, 6 Vols. New Delhi, Munshiram Manoharlal, 1987–2003.