UNDERSTANDING AND CLASSIFICATION OF SANSKRIT COMPOUNDS. INDIAN TRADITION

Abstract

Тhis article is devoted to the consideration and analysis of main characteristics and kinds of Sanskrit compounds within the framework of Indian tradition. Sanskrit compounds are autonomous units consisting of two, three and more stems, with certain succession of elements, a single stress and affi xation of a last component. The number of these units depends on their type, and the meaning is determined by the combination of meanings of their constituent components. Indian tradition is a tradition of a speaker’s grammar, that’s why function and form are such peculiarities of compounds that a speaker must know in order to verbalize and generate them. Sanskrit compounds are usually classifi ed on the basis of their constituent stems, their relations and meanings of derivative words. Researchers perform an analysis of sense relations of the parts of a compound because this is the basis of the further description of the derivative peculiarities. An ontological (analysis of the form), epistemological (explanatory, analysis of the meaning) and functional (peculiarities of the functioning) approaches to samasas are presented in the Indian tradition. According to the Indian tradition Sanskrit compounds are divided into fouёr main types: tatpurusa, dvandva, bahuvrihi and avyayibhava. Tatpurusas are endocentric compoundsconsisting of nouns, adjectives, pronouns and participles. Dvandvas are used to denote two different objects as one and also to express the total or couple. The main characteristic feature of bahuvrihi is the absence of the main component, that’s why they describe the external object in relation to the word. Avyayibhavas are indeclinable samasas functioning as adverbs and adverbial modifi ers which are analyzed using their constituent members. Each of the mentioned types is divided into subtypes.