Date of Examination: ___________Session: (FN/AN) ______ Duration: 2 Hrs Full Marks: 30
Subject No. : KS 20201 Subject : Theories of Language Comprehension: India and Beyond
Department/Center/School: Centre of Excellence for Indian Knowledge System
Specific charts, graph paper, log book etc., required - Nil
Special Instructions (if any) : NIL
_________________________________________________________________________
1.
Semanticity, displacement, and creativity are the features of language that can be found in 1
both humans and animals.
1. True
2. False
2.
The definition of a ‘word’ as ‘the linguistic unit that has nominal and verbal suffixes at its 1
end’ given by Pāṇini is explained by which of the following:
1. ‘sup-tiṅ-antam padam’
2. ‘śaktaṁ padam’
3.
Match the pairs and mark the correct answer.
1 Nāma
A. Attach to the verbs and are dependently meaningful
2 Ākhyāta
B. Have contextual meaning
3 Upasarga C. Express bhāva/ action or process
4 Nipāta
D. Express sattā/ thing
1.
2.
3.
4.
2
1-C, 2-D, 3-B, 4-A
1-D, 2-C, 3-B, 4-A
1-C, 2-D, 3-A, 4-B
1-D, 2-C, 3-A, 4-B
4.
The word ‘Himalaya’ literally means ‘the mountain covered with snow’, but in regular usage, 1
it denotes a particular mountain. In which of the following categories would you classify the
word ‘Himalaya’.
1. Conventional Only (Yaugika)
2. Derivative Only (Rūḍha)
3. Derivative-Conventional (Yoga-Rūḍha)
4. Either Derivation or Conventional (Yaugika-Rūḍha)
5.
Which of the following is the cognitive definition of a sentence?
1. ‘buddhi-anusaṁhṛtiḥ’ (Single unitary meaning principle in the mind)
2. ‘pada-samūhaḥ vākyam’ (Combination of words)
3. ‘sup-tin-anta-cayaḥ vākyam’ (Combination of nouns and verbs)
4. ‘eka tiṅ vākyam’ (One/ single verb)
6.
Which theory accepts the ‘khale kapota nyāya’ (‘pigeons on the threshing floor’) of the 1
sentential meaning?
1. Saṁsarga-maryāda Vāda (Mutual Coalescence)
2. Abhihita-anvyaya Vāda (Expression-precedes-Relation)
7.
The view that ‘Sentence meaning lies in the action’ (kriyā vākyārthaḥ) is held by:
1. Prābhākara School of Mīmāṁsā
1
1
2. Bhāṭṭa School of Mīmāṁsā
3. Buddhist School
4. Grammar School
8.
Which word meaning is more flexible and appeals to a sensitive listener (sahṛdaya)?
1. Vyañjanā (Suggestive Meaning)
2. Lakṣaṇā (Implied Meaning)
1
9.
The relation between the word and its suggesting meaning is like that of the lamp and its light. 1
What kind of a relation does the author is talking about?
1. Of the Substratum and the object of resting (Ādhāra and ādheya)
2. Of the Manifestor and Manifested (Prakāśaka and Prakāśya)
3. Of the Part and Whole (Avayava and Avayavī)
4. Of the Expressor and Expressed (Vācaka and Vācya)
10. In the following conversation, which type of meaning of the highlighted phrase is not 1
cognized by the child?
(Context: A mother is fed up with her hyperactive two-year-old child.)
Mother: You are getting out of my hand!
Child: But I don’t want to be in your hand.
1. Abhidhā (Primary)
2. Lakṣaṇā (Implied/ Metaphoric)
3. Vyañjanā (Suggested)
4. Tātparya (Intention of the speaker)
11. Which condition of the sentential meaning is lacking in the highlighted words in the following 1
sentences?
“Climb down from that place right now!”
“She let out one silent scream when the teacher announced her name.”
“A small crowd has gathered in the school gymkhana.”
1. Ākāṅkṣā (Syntactic Expectancy)
2. Yogyatā (Semantic Compatibility)
3. Sannidhi (Proximity)
4. Tātparya (Speaker’s intention)
12. The grammarian Bhaṭṭojī Dīkṣita gave the eight-fold division of Sphoṭa.
1. True
2. False
1
13. The Morpheme ‘dis’ in the word ‘disconnect’ is an example of ‘Upasarga’:
1. True
2. False
1
14. Which among the following can be the justification for Diṅnāga’s Apoha Theory?
1
1. Apoha is hearer-relative and it denotes the ‘reverberation of the sounds.’
2. Apoha is a ‘mystical conception’ or a grammatical fiction.
3. Even animals behave by virtue of Apoha. For example, a bird being able to build its
nest, a spider spinning its web, etc.
4. Considering the two types of Truth, empirical and supreme, the thing-in-itself is real.
Word meanings are nothing but mental imagination, unreal, i.e., Apoha.
15. The description of a sentence as ‘nirvibhāgam’ (partless), ‘akramaḥ’ (sequence-less), and 1
‘ekaḥ’ (single entity) fall under:
1. Sakhaṇḍa-pakṣa (The Associationism/ Connectionism View)
2. Akhaṇḍa-pakṣa (A Monist/ Holist View)
16. The word ‘poor’ has multiple meanings. By which method would you disambiguate its 1
meaning in the sentence ‘The artist gave such a poor performance yesterday’?
1. Kāla (Time)
2. Vyakti (Gender)
3. Sāhacharya (Mutual Association)
4. Viprayogaḥ (Dissociation)
17. In which among the following phrases, the ‘arthaḥ’ (Purpose) technique of Word-sense 1
disambiguation does not apply?
1. Baby powder
2. Ant powder
3. Cashew powder
4. Tooth powder
18. Match the pairs considering the concept of ‘sentential meaning’.
1 Words convey their individual meanings
A Abhihita-anvaya Theory
simultaneously.
(Expression-precedes-Relation)
2 Words convey only their individual meanings
B The Apoha Theory (Mental
by Abhidhā.
Exclusion)
3 Words convey their meanings as connected
C The Sphoṭa Theory (Flash of
with the other word-meanings.
insight)
4 Words in the sentence do not have their own
D The Anvita-abhidhāna Theory
meanings in the final cognition of the
(Relation-precedes-Expression)
sentence.
5 Word meanings convey the negation of all its
E The Saṁsarga-maryāda Theory
counter-correlates
(Mutual Coalescence)
1.
2.
3.
4.
1-D, 2-A, 3-E, 4-C, 5-B
1-E, 2-A, 3-D, 4-C, 5-B
1-A, 2-E, 3-D, 4-C, 5-B
1-E, 2-D, 3-A, 4-C, 5-B
19. Which of the following describe/s the concept of ‘Pratibhā’ (flash of insight)?
A. ‘idam tad iti anākhyeyā’ (It cannot be explained as ‘this is that’.)
B. ‘padārthaiḥ upapāditā’ (Expressed by the word-meanings.)
C. ‘sva-saṁvedanā siddhā’ (Only known by the comprehender himself.)
D. ‘ayatnajam’ (Happens without any conscious effort.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
3
2
Only A, B, and D
Only A and C
Only C and D
All of them
20. Match the pairs and mark the correct answer.
1. Śakti-dhīḥ
A. Karaṇam- The most efficient cause
2. Pada-jñāna
B. Sahakārīṇi- The Auxiliary Cause
3. Śābdabodha
C. Dvāram- The Functional Cause
4. Padārtha-dhīḥ
D. Phalam- The Result
1. 1-A, 2-C, 3-D, 4-B
2. 1-B, 2-A, 3-D, 4-C
2
3. 1-B, 2-D, 3-A, 4-C
4. 1-B, 2-C, 3-D, 4-A
21. Solve any one among A, B, or C.
5
A. Consider there is a one-year-old female child named ‘Kiki’. By what means of Śaktigraha, she has acquired the word meanings of ‘Jam’, ‘Van’, ‘Cleanliness’, and
‘Patriotism’ in each of the four situations given below. Justify.
1. Kiki has been observing her parents communicate with each other.
Mother: Please, bring the jam.
Father: Do you want bread as well?
Mother: No! Just Jam!
(Father brings the jam and puts it on the table.)
Mother: (taking the jam container) This jam looks delicious.
2. Kiki is now two-years-old. She is playing with her mother.
Mother: (Pointing to a toy) This is a van!
Kiki: What is a van, Mommy?
Mother: Van is just like a car, but bigger. It drives people to many places.
Kiki: This is a VAN!
3. Kiki starts going to school now. Her teacher is teaching her about cleanliness. He
explains that cleanliness means when you wash your hands, wash your feet and
wear fresh clothes. Then he describes more that cleanliness means not getting
dirty. Thus, Kiki learns the new word.
4. Kiki starts reading English words now. When she did not know the meaning of the
word ‘patriotism’, she looks it up in a dictionary and finds out meaning.
B. Describe the Theory of Sphoṭa.
C. Analyze linguistically the given conversation.
1. Do you think the highlighted phrases can be called ‘sentences’? Why?
2. Explain your understanding of the paragraph based on the Causal model of Verbal
Cognition.
A: You don't believe in evolution?
B: I don't know, it's just, you know...monkeys, Darwin, you know, it's a, it's a
nice story, I just think it's a little too easy.
A: Too easy? Too.... The process of every living thing on this planet evolving
over millions of years from single-celled organisms is... is too easy?
B: Yeah, I just don't buy it.
A: Uh, excuse me. Evolution is not for you to buy, friend! Evolution is scientific
fact, like, like, like the air we breathe, like gravity.
B: Oh, okay, don't get me started on gravity.
A: You uh, you don't believe in gravity?
B: Well, it's not so much that you know, like I don't believe in it, you know, it's
just...I don't know, lately I get the feeling that I'm not so much being pulled
down as I am being pushed.
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INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR
Mid-Autumn Semester Examination 2023-24
Date of Examination
Session: (FN/AN)
Duration: 2 Hrs
Full Marks: 40
Subject No.: KS20201
Subject: Theories of Language Comprehension: India and Beyond
Department/Center/School: Centre of Excellence for Indian Knowledge System
Specific charts, graph paper, log book etc., required: NA
Special Instructions (if any): NA
Solve any 4 questions.
1. Explain the following concepts. Solve any 02.
(1) The theory of Apoha.
(2) Mīmāṁsā’s Three Conditional Factors for Sentential Meaning
(3) Three exclusive features of human language
2. What is the Sakhaṇḍa-pakṣa view of Sentential Meaning?
(1) Explain three theories of Sakhaṇḍa-pakṣa.
(2) How are they different from each other?
(3) How is Sakhaṇḍa-pakṣa different than the Akhaṇḍa-pakṣa?
3. Explain the process of Śābdabodha.
(1) Give the original verse mentioning the process of Śābdabodha, the source text, its author, and
the time period.
(2) Explain each word with an English translation.
(3) Why is it called the ‘Causal Model’ of Śābdabodha?
(4) Make your arguments for and against the model.
4. Explain the Sphoṭa Theory of Bhartrihari.
(1) Explain the concept of Akhaḍḍa-pakṣa.
(2) What is Sphoṭa theory?
(3) Explain it along with the analogies used by Bhartṛhari.
(4) Explain Bhartṛhari’s unique concept of Pratibhā.
5. “The Nyāya school of Indian Philosophy has contributed enormously to the Indian theories of
verbal cognition.”
Do you agree with this statement?
(You may refer to the following topics: Classification of words, sentence definitions, types of word
meanings, the Causal model of Śābdabodha, the concept of Tātparya, their theory of sentential
meaning, etc.)
1
Please turn over
6. How is your understanding of language and linguistics improved after learning the Indian
theories of Śābdabodha?
7. Do you think that the Indian theories of Śābdabodha are the Sanskrit language- specific or do they
also apply to other modern languages? Justify.
8. “The ideas on language in Indian philosophy are not merely intellectual activities but have
practical applications as well.”
Do you agree with this statement? Do you see the theories applied in real-life linguistic
conversations?
9. Explain the most fascinating ways in which the Indian philosophers have described the language.
------------------------------------- End Here -------------------------------------
2
Please turn over
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR
Mid-Spring Semester Examination 2022-23
Date of Examination: ____________________ Session: (FN/AN) ______ Duration: 2 hrs. Full Marks: 50
Subject No.: KS20201
Subject: Theories of Language Comprehension: India and Beyond
Department/Center/School: Centre of Excellence for Indian Knowledge System (CoE-IKS)
Specific charts, graph paper, log book etc., required
Special Instructions (if any):
NA
NA
A. Write a short note on the following questions. Provide examples wherever necessary.
Solve any 05.
1. Why is Naiyayika’s theory of sentential meaning known as ‘Khale Kapota Nyāya’?
2. How do the Vākya Śeṣa and Upamāna help in Word-meaning acquisition?
3. Describe the Buddhists’ theory of Apoha.
4. Explain the role of Tātparya (Speaker’s Intention) in verbal cognition.
5. Give at least two cognitive definitions of Vākya.
6. What are the three exclusive features of human language?
15 Marks
B. Write a broad answer to the following questions. Provide examples wherever necessary.
Solve any 03.
15 Marks
1. Give at least five techniques of word sense disambiguation with examples.
2. According to the Mimamsakas, what are the three conditions for knowing the sentential meaning?
3. Write a note on the classification of Pada.
4. Write a note on the Lakṣaṇā (implied) and Vyañjanā (suggested) meanings of a word.
C. Answer the following questions.
Solve any 02.
20 Marks
1. Explain the Causal Model of Śābdabodha with critique.
- The original verse
- Translation, explanation, and examples
- Critical analysis
2. Explain the Sakhaṇḍapakṣa view of Sentential Meaning.
- Compare and contrast the Abhihitānvaya-vāda and the Anvitābhidhāna-vāda
- The respective adherent schools of Mimamsa
- Example sentences
3. Explain the Sphoṭa Theory by Bhartrihari.
- The literal meaning of Sphoṭa
- Unification of Sentence meaning
- Bahiḥ and Antaḥ Sphoṭa
- The concept of Pratibhā
4. Analyse your daily-life conversations from the perspective of Indian theories of verbal cognition.
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