365bet娱乐

Before embarking the contribution of the present study, it should be recalled that Buddhist canonical literature is replete with several key concepts and issues of philosophy of language, and many others. A Buddhist or a sincere Buddhist scholar or non-Buddhist scholar should be wise enough to perceive the true value of the teachings of the Buddha and to make an unflagging effort to deeply understand his religion. Applying theoretical knowledge gained from the fields of linguistics and Buddhist Studies, the researcher would like to provide a valuable testing ground with regards to philosophy of language exposed via the discourses found in the Five 狈颈办腻测补蝉. Throughout this research work, the study seeks to lay bare many such issues and to offer some insights into important problems related to how language devotes to human life.

First, as a sharp tool of knowledge, language operates in a characteristically dialectical process of veiling and revealing truths and even sometimes identified with the reality that it represents. It fulfills an interpretative function in the process of effectively apprehending as well as comprehending applied experience. A question raised here is how do we know 鈥渓anguage as a set of sentences鈥� without thought? An answer is that the human mind cannot deal with the thought-process without expressing it in some linguistic ways. This shows obviously that language is structured in the human beings鈥� mind.

Second, language is not a separate source of knowledge, and names are not the adequate or direct expressions of reality. Names correspond to images or concepts; they express only universals while reality consists of particulars, not of universals. The universals cannot be reached in purposive actions. Thus, concepts and names are the indirect, they are the 鈥渆cho鈥� of reality, they are logical, and of course, not real.

Third, what is the place of natural language in human cognition and thought? According to the communicative conception, 鈥渢he function and purpose of natural language is to facilitate communication and not 鈥� to facilitate thinking,鈥� in contrast, the cognitive conception of language sees language as crucially implicated in human thinking. Thus, in this view, the natural language sentences are the vehicles of our thoughts where thought itself is largely independent of the means of its transmission from mind to mind.

Fourth, does the language we speak influence the thoughts we think? Three instructions are: (i) there may be effects of language on thought which derive from having a language versus not having one -the enabling function of language, (ii) there may be effects on thought which derive from speaking one language rather than another鈥搕he shaping function of language, and (iii) there may be effects within a given language community from using language in one way or another鈥搕he facilitating function of language.

Fifth, the dichotomy on thought versus language:

(i) (Davies (1998), and Avramides (1989)) To say that thought enjoys ontological priority over language is to say that language is ontologically dependent on thought, while thought is not so dependent on language. That is, there cannot be language without thought, but there can be thought without language. To say that thought enjoys epistemological priority over language is to say that the route to knowledge about language (specifically about linguistic meaning) goes via knowledge about thought (specifically about the contents of thought) while knowledge about thought can be had without going via knowledge about language.

(ii) (Davidson (1974, 1975)) In contrast, as for ontological priority, there cannot be thought without language: in order to have thoughts (specifically, beliefs), a creature must be a member of a language community, and an interpreter of the speech of others. As for epistemological priority, it is not possible to find out in detail what a person believes without interpreting that person鈥檚 speech.

I strongly advocate the latter because if we lack natural language then we might end up believing, and thinking, and without language human civilization as we know it, would have remained an impossibility; that is, for instance, human cannot completely understand the teachings of the Buddha as much as he cannot cognize necessary facts of information.

Sixth, the internal process cannot work without language. Because language and cognition do not separate from each other, but closely interrelated as a direct and indirect source of knowledge, as a intellect and sense; and as a dialectical and a non-dialectical source.

Seventh, language itself determines cognition; that is, the presence of linguistic categories creates cognitive categories.

Eighth, all higher levels of thinking are dependent upon language, and the structure of the language one habitually uses determines his/her world view.

Ninth, mind is the store that underlies our thoughts and sentiments, and is a system of mental organs through which language is reflected, and is what mind can achieve. Thus, language is the 鈥渕irror of mind,鈥� and is not just an output or input device for central cognition. It is involved in the forms of thinking. If we lack natural language then we might end up believing, and thinking.

Tenth, meanings must be abstract objects that inhabit a third realm, neither psychological nor physical in nature.

Eleventh, the meaning of a sentence is determined by the meanings of the words that constitute it and by the way those words are put together, by the syntactic structure of the sentence.

Twelfth, the meaning of a word is determined by its use. Or the meaning of a word or combination of words is determined by the set of rules which regulate their use.

Thirteenth, a name expresses its sense, and dominates its reference, and in turn, sense determines reference.

Fourteenth, human knowledge is organized with the help of linguistic competence through the language performance. By evaluating and analyzing the structure of language universal device from the universal properties of human mind, we can also gain a far wider scale to understand rightly the Buddha鈥檚 teachings. With the help of language, we can comprehend deeply the metaphors, metonymies, and similes in the teachings of the Buddha and the logic as well as semantics in the dialectics presented in the Five 狈颈办腻测补蝉.