Correlations Between Language and Logic in Indian Thought

1960 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Staal
Keyword(s):  
Ordinary Language ◽  
Philosophical Problem ◽  
The Other ◽  
Symbolic Logic ◽  
Indian Logic ◽  
Language And Thought ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Indian Thought ◽  
Special Cases ◽  
Linguistic Structures

It may be possible to study special cases of the general philosophical problem, how language and thought are correlated, by considering definite thought structures and definite languages. The difficulty, that thought seems to be accessible only or at least primarily through language, can be partly avoided by concentrating upon formal expressions of thought structures which are considerably different from ordinary language. In the following an attempt will be made to show, with the help of symbolic logic, how certain general structures are expressed in classical Sanskrit and, subsequently, how certain logical structures are expressed in the technical Sanskrit of Indian logic. The results do not prove that some logical principles depend on linguistic structures; for, evidently, the linguistic structures themselves may reflect a deeper-lying structure of thinking or ‘being’. On the other hand, if it were possible to show that some expressions could occur only in languages with a special structure—e.g. some Indo-European languages—this kind of research might throw some light on the problem of the universality of logical principles.

Introduction: Solomon’s Difficulty

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Andrew LaZella
Keyword(s):  
General Problem ◽  
Philosophical Problem ◽  
The Other ◽  
Language And Thought ◽  
Conceptual Maps

The title derives from Scotus’s gloss of a passage from Ecclesiastes, which frames the general problem of the book. Things are difficult, Scotus tells us, because language and thought inadequately grasp the structure of reality. To remedy Solomon’s difficulty, proper division is required. As the remainder of the work shows, proper division occurs by means of a univocal concept of being and ultimate differences. The introduction establishes this general problematic with respect to the perennial philosophical problem of “cutting being at its joints.” Through the lens of Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, and others, the introduction looks at the fit between language, thought, and reality and how divisions in one might reflect or obscure divisions in the other. For Scotus, the inadequacy of language and, to a greater extent, thought to grasp the structure of reality prompts a need for a univocal concept of being. Whereas language can gain some traction, thought stalls even more, given its acquaintance with only sensible accidents. Hence, we must engage in proper division as best as we are able. This means making conceptual maps that do not mimetically correspond to things, but rather intensionally fracture what God and angels behold in a single, unruptured, intuitive gaze.

Isoglosses and language change: Evidence of the rise and loss of isoglosses from a comparison of early Greek and early English

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-575
Author(s):  
Nikolaos Lavidas
Keyword(s):  
Language Change ◽  
The Other ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Considerable Distance ◽  
Causative Constructions ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Structural Ambiguity ◽  
Early English ◽  
Aspectual Verbs

Abstract We analyze the rise and loss of isoglosses in two Indo-European languages, early Greek and early English, which, however, show considerable distance between their structures in many other domains. We follow Keidan’s approach (2013), that has drawn the attention on the fact that the study of isoglosses (i.e., linguistic features common to two or more languages) is connected with common innovations of particular languages after the split into sub-groups of Indo-European: this type of approach aims at collecting isoglosses that appear across the branches of Indo-European. We examine the rise of the isogloss of labile verbs and the loss of the isogloss of the two classes of aspectual verbs in early Greek and early English. Our study shows that the rise of labile verbs in both languages is related to the innovative use of intransitives in causative constructions. On the other hand, the innovations in voice morphology follow different directions in Greek and English and are unrelated to the rise of labile verbs. In contrast to labile verbs, which are still predominant for causative-anticausative constructions in both languages, the two classes of aspectual verbs are lost in the later stages of Greek but are predominant even in Present-day English. Again, a “prerequisite” change for the isogloss can be easily located in a structural ambiguity that is relevant for aspectual verbs in early Greek and early English. However, another independent development, the changes in verbal complementation (the development of infinitival and participial complements) in Greek and English, determined the loss of this isogloss.

scholarly journals Leader-chasing behavior in negative artificial triggered lightning flashes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fukun Wang ◽  
Jianguo Wang ◽  
Li Cai ◽  
Rui Su ◽  
Wenhan Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
The Other ◽  
Lightning Flash ◽  
High Speed Camera ◽  
Return Stroke ◽  
Catching Up ◽  
Special Cases ◽  
Triggered Lightning

AbstractTwo special cases of dart leader propagation were observed by the high-speed camera in the leader/return stroke sequences of a classical triggered lightning flash and an altitude-triggered lightning flash, respectively. Different from most of the subsequent return strokes preceded by only one leader, the return stroke in each case was preceded by two leaders occurring successively and competing in the same channel, which herein is named leader-chasing behavior. In one case, the polarity of the latter leader was opposite to that of the former leader and these two combined together to form a new leader, which shared the same polarity with the former leader. In the other case, the latter leader shared the same polarity with the former leader and disappeared after catching up with the former leader. The propagation of the former leader in this case seems not to be significantly influenced by the existence of the latter leader.

The Circular Cylinder With a Band of Uniform Pressure on a Finite Length of the Surface

1941 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. A97-A104 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. V. Barton
Keyword(s):  
Circular Cylinder ◽  
Finite Length ◽  
Infinite Series ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
The Other ◽  
Complete Picture ◽  
Uniform Pressure ◽  
Uniform Tension ◽  
Special Cases ◽  
Stress And Deformation

Abstract The solution to the fundamental problem of a cylinder with a uniform pressure over one half its length and a uniform tension on the other half is found by using the Papcovitch-Neuber solution to the general equations. In this paper, the results, given analytically in terms of infinite-series expressions, are exhibited as curves giving a complete picture of the stress and deformation. The case of a cylinder with a band of uniform pressure of any length, with the exception of very small ones, is then solved by the method of superposition. The stresses and displacements are evaluated for the special cases of a cylinder with a uniform pressure load of 1 diam and 1/2 diam in length. The problem of a cylinder heated over one half its length is solved by the same means.

Indian and Russian Tolstoy: one among strangers and a stranger among one’s

2021 ◽  
pp. 27-35
Author(s):  
Svetlana M. Klimova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Sphere ◽  
Indian Thought ◽  
Russian State ◽  
Lev Tolstoy ◽  
The One ◽  
The Voice ◽  
The Church ◽  
Peculiar Phenomenon

The article examines the phenomenon of the late Lev Tolstoy in the context of his religious position. The author analyzes the reactions to his teaching in Russian state and official Orthodox circles, on the one hand, and Indian thought, on the other. Two sociocultural images of L.N. Tolstoy: us and them that arose in the context of understanding the position of the Russian Church and the authorities and Indian public and religious figures (including Mahatma Gandhi, who was under his influence). A peculiar phenomenon of intellectually usL.N. Tolstoy among culturally them (Indian) correspondents and intellectually them Tolstoy among culturally us (representatives of the official government and the Church of Russia) transpires. The originality of this situation is that these im­ages of Lev Tolstoy arise practically at the same period. The author compares these images, based on the method of defamiliarisation (V. Shklovsky), which allows to visually demonstrate the religious component of Tolstoy’s criticism of the political sphere of life and, at the same time, to understand the psychological reasons for its rejection in Russian official circles. With the methodological help of defamiliarisation the author tries to show that the opinion of Tolstoy (as the writer) becomes at the same time the voice of conscience for many of his con­temporaries. The method of defamiliarisation allowed the author to show how Leo Tolstoy’s inner law of nonviolence influenced the concept of non­violent resistance in the teachings of Gandhi.

scholarly journals Coordinating nominal compounds: Universal vs. areal tendencies

Linguistics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 1197-1243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Francesco Arcodia
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
The Other ◽  
Irian Jaya ◽  
Oxford University ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
Nominal Compounds ◽  
Noun Compounds ◽  
The One ◽  
Referential Function

AbstractCoordinating compounds, i.e. complex word forms in which the constituent lexemes are in a coordination relation, may be divided into two classes: hyperonymic, in which the referent of the whole compound is the “sum” of the meanings of the constituent lexemes (Korowaiyumdefól‘(her) husband-wife, couple’; van Enk, Gerrit J., & Lourens de Vries. 1997.The Korowai of Irian Jaya: Their language in its cultural context. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 66), and hyponymic, where the compound designates a single referent having features of all the constituents (Englishactor-director). It has been proposed that languages choose either type as the one with the “tightest” marking pattern; whereas the crosslinguistic tendency is to have tighter hyperonymic compounds, most languages of Europe rather have tighter hyponymic compounds (Arcodia, Giorgio Francesco, Nicola Grandi, & Bernhard Wälchli 2010. Coordination in compounding. In Sergio Scalise & Irene Vogel (eds.),Cross-disciplinary issues in compounding, 177–198. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins). In this paper, we will test this assumption on noun-noun compounds in a sample of 20 Standard Average European languages and in a balanced sample of 60 non-SAE languages, arguing that the preference for hyperonymic compounds is best explained by the default referential function of nouns; in hyponymic compounds, on the other hand, nouns are used to indicate properties. We will then compare nominal and adjectival coordinating compounds, showing that for the latter the hyponymic compounding pattern is the dominant one, as adjectives are prototypical property-denoting words.

scholarly journals Universe and Inner Self in Early Indian and Early Greek Thought

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
The Other ◽  
European Origin ◽  
Greek Thought ◽  
Indian Thought ◽  
Inner Self ◽  
Cosmic Order ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
The Universe

This book focuses from various perspectives on the striking similarities (as well as the concomitant differences) between early Greek and early Indian thought. In both cultures there occurred at about the same time the birth of 'philosophy', the idea of the universe as an intelligible order in which personal deity is (at most) marginal and the inner self is at the centre of attention. The similarities include a pentadic structure of narrative and cosmology, a basic conception of cosmic order or harmony, a close relationship between universe and inner self, techniques of soteriological inwardness and self-immortalisation, the selflessness of theory, envisaging the inner self as a chariot, the interiorisation of ritual, and ethicised reincarnation. Explanations for the similarites are a shared Indo-European origin, parallel socio-economic development, and influence in one direction or the other.

scholarly journals Herrscherschaft and herrschersuffix in Central-East European languages

Linguistica ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-18
Author(s):  
Sorin Paliga
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
The Other ◽  
Early Middle Ages ◽  
East European ◽  
Slavic Languages ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Local Leader ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
Large Distribution

The paper resumes a topic the author approached in severa[ instances beginning with 1987: some specific terms referring to the semantic sphere Herrscherschafi. In Romanian, ban, jupîn, stăpîn and probably also cioban reflect the indigenous Thracian substratum; these forms also reflect the archaic Indo-European Herrschersujfzx -n-. In Slavic, their equivalent forms ban, župan and stopan reflect either a Late Thracian or (Proto-)Romanian influence. Equally Rom. vătaf reflects the substratum influence, whereas Slavic vatah, vatak, vataš reflects the same borrowing. On the other hand, Slavic gospodƄ, belongs to the archaic Proto-Slavic core elements, while cěsaŕƄ, reflect a Germanic influence. Finally, Rom. boier is an East-Romance innovation derived from bou 'ox' and initially meant 'owner of cattle = rich man', a traditional association between cattle-owners and richness. The word had a large distribution from the early Middle Ages until late in the 20th century.In a paper written some 15 years ago (Paliga 1987, in Linguistica, Ljubljana) 1 dared suggest that a series of Romanian and Slavic terms referring to social and political organisation, specifically ban (1) 'master, local leader' and (2) 'coin, money' (2nd sense derived from the lst one),jupîn (formerly giupîn) 'a master', 'a master, a lord', cioban 'a shepherd', rather reflect a compact etymological group of Pre-Romance and Pre-Slavic origin (including cioban, incorrectly considered a Turkish influence, seemingly starting from the erroneous, but largely spread hypothesis that intervocalic -b- in Romanian would rather suggest a newer origin 1 ). To these, on another occasion, I added the form vătaf,vătah (also with parallels in some Slavic languages, Paliga 1996: 34-36) and on another occasion 1 analysed the form boier, also spread in many neighbouring languages, which has often been considered either of unknown origin or again of Turkic (not Turkish, i.e. Ottoman) origin (Paliga 1990; see also our main studies gathered together in a single volume, Paliga 1999).

Tandem Conveyor Queues

1989 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-536
Author(s):  
F. Baccelli ◽  
E.G. Coffman ◽  
E.N. Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Value Problem ◽  
Joint Distribution ◽  
Queueing System ◽  
The Other ◽  
Riemann Boundary Value Problem ◽  
Riemann Boundary ◽  
Special Cases ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Service Times ◽  
Input Position

This paper analyzes a queueing system in which a constant-speed conveyor brings new items for service and carries away served items. The conveyor is a sequence of cells each able to hold at most one item. At each integer time, a new cell appears at the queue's input position. This cell holds an item requiring service with probability a, holds a passerby requiring no service with probability b, and is empty with probability (1– a – b). Service times are integers synchronized with the arrival of cells at the input, and they are geometrically distributed with parameter μ. Items requiring service are placed in an unbounded queue to await service. Served items are put in a second unbounded queue to await replacement on the conveyor in cells at the input position. Two models are considered. In one, a served item can only be placed into a cell that was empty on arrival; in the other, the served item can be placed into a cell that was either empty or contained an item requiring service (in the latter case unloading and loading at the input position can take place in the same time unit). The stationary joint distribution of the numbers of items in the two queues is studied for both models. It is verified that, in general, this distribution does not have a product form. Explicit results are worked out for special cases, e.g., when b = 0, and when all service times are one time unit (μ = 1). It is shown how the analysis of the general problem can be reduced to the solution of a Riemann boundary-value problem.

scholarly journals Inbreeding parents should invest more resources in fewer offspring

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bradley Duthie ◽  
Aline M. Lee ◽  
Jane M. Reid
Keyword(s):  
General Theory ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Inbreeding Avoidance ◽  
The Other ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Offspring Number ◽  
Focal Female ◽  
Special Cases ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Joint Consideration

AbstractInbreeding increases parent-offspring relatedness and commonly reduces offspring viability, shaping selection on reproductive interactions involving relatives and associated parental investment (PI). Nevertheless, theories predicting selection for inbreeding versus inbreeding avoidance and selection for optimal PI have only been considered separately, precluding prediction of optimal PI and associated reproductive strategy given inbreeding. We unify inbreeding and PI theory, demonstrating that optimal PI increases when a female's inbreeding decreases the viability of her offspring. Inbreeding females should therefore produce fewer offspring due to the fundamental trade-off between offspring number and PI. Accordingly, selection for inbreeding versus inbreeding avoidance changes when females can adjust PI with the degree that they inbreed. In contrast, optimal PI does not depend on whether a focal female is herself inbred. However, inbreeding causes optimal PI to increase given strict monogamy and associated biparental investment compared to female-only investment. Our model implies that understanding evolutionary dynamics of inbreeding strategy, inbreeding depression, and PI requires joint consideration of the expression of each in relation to the other. Overall, we demonstrate that existing PI and inbreeding theories represent special cases of a more general theory, implying that intrinsic links between inbreeding and PI affect evolution of behaviour and intra-familial conflict.

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