The Role of Superimposition in the Semantics of Negative Compounds in Sanskrit
The Role of Superimposition in the Semantics of Negative Compounds in Sanskrit

Author(s): Małgorzata Sulich-Cowley
Subject(s): Theology and Religion
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: negative compounds; superimposition; āropa; upacārasattā; Patañjali; Bhartṛhari
Summary/Abstract: This article analyses the interpretation of Sanskrit negative compounds according to the school of vaiyākaraṇa in India. Firstly, it outlines the forming process of such compounds in Pāṇini’s "Aṣṭādhyāyī" and discusses their semantic interpretation proposed by Patañjali in the "Mahābhāṣya". The article further focuses on the notion of mistakes as crucial in determining the final meaning of a negative formation as well as delineating the mental process behind it. It presents the origin of the āropatva (“superimposition”) in the "Mahābhāṣya" and its development by Bhartṛhari in the "Vākyapādīya" as well as later compilation in Kaiyaṭa’s "Pradīpa".

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