Etymology And Magic Yaskas Nirukta Flatos Cratylus And Riddle Of Semanticetymologies

Here's a comprehensive summary of Johannes Bronkhorst's article "Etymology and Magic: Yaska's Nirukta, Plato's Cratylus, and the Riddle of Semantic Etymologies":

The article distinguishes between historical etymologies, which trace the origin and development of words, and semantic etymologies, which connect words to others believed to elucidate their meaning. Bronkhorst argues that semantic etymologizing is a universal phenomenon found in pre-modern cultures, citing Yaska's Nirukta from ancient India and Plato's Cratylus from ancient Greece as key texts that specifically address this practice.

Key Points and Argument:

• Semantic Etymologizing is Universal: The article provides numerous examples from various cultures (Sumerian, Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Medieval European, Chinese, Trobriand Islands) to demonstrate the widespread nature of semantic etymologies. These examples often involve wordplay, sound similarities, and linking words to myths or deeper meanings.
• Distinction from Historical Etymology: The core difference highlighted is that semantic etymologies are not about a word's history but about its meaning, often by associating it with other words that are considered explanatory.
• Yaska's Nirukta and Vedic Etymologies:
  • Bronkhorst places Yaska after the grammar of Pāṇini (around 250 BCE).
  • The Nirukta aimed to bring order to the semantic etymologies prevalent in Vedic texts like the Brahmanas.
  • Characteristics of Vedic Etymologies:
    1. Purposeful: Knowing them provided advantages and was considered important, often linked to ritual efficacy.
    2. Mythologically Connected: They almost invariably referred to myths.
    3. Revealing Hidden Dimensions: They were believed to uncover hidden layers of linguistic or cosmic reality.
    4. Multiple Etymologies: A single word could have several explanations.
  • Yaska's Secularization: Yaska, while acknowledging the validity of these etymologies, secularized and rationalized the practice. His etymologies generally did not connect with the mythological realm or reveal hidden layers of language in the same way as the Brahmanas. The primary rule he emphasized was to prioritize the meaning of the word, then look for phonetic similarities.
  • The Problem of Validity: The Nirukta doesn't explain why semantic etymologies are valid, and Bronkhorst dismisses the idea that they are purely historical. He notes that the Indian view of language as eternal might have contributed to this lack of concern for historical development.
• Plato's Cratylus and Greek Etymology:
  • Plato, through Socrates, explores the idea that words have an inherent "right name" bestowed by nature or by lawgivers who understood the essential nature of things.
  • The Imitation Theory: Socrates, in the Cratylus, moves towards the idea that the fundamental elements of language (letters and syllables) directly imitate the nature of the things they name. This suggests a "natural language."
  • Challenges: Plato grapples with inconsistencies, like sounds that don't seem to match the meanings (e.g., "lambda" for softness in "hardness"), leading him to acknowledge the role of convention alongside natural likeness.
  • Comparison with India: A key difference is Plato's concept of lawgivers creating names, contrasting with the Indian view that language is not a man-made creation. Plato also considers the possibility of divine origin for names.
• The Search for a Universal Explanation:
  • Bronkhorst acknowledges the difficulties faced by both Yaska and Plato in their attempts to understand or justify semantic etymologies.
  • Modern scholarship, he asserts, must move beyond culture-specific explanations and seek a universal explanation for this pervasive phenomenon.
  • The Connection to Magic: The article proposes that semantic etymologizing can be understood in light of phenomena often labeled as "magical," specifically sympathetic magic.
    • Both semantic etymologies and sympathetic magic rely heavily on the principle of similarity (analogy).
    • Similarities between words are seen to reveal connections between the things they denote, just as similarities between objects in sympathetic magic are believed to create causal links.
    • Bronkhorst emphasizes that this similarity-based connection is often an intuition rather than a systematized belief, though exceptions like Neoplatonism exist.
  • Critique of Anthropological Explanations: He briefly reviews anthropological explanations for magic (Tylor, Frazer, Tambiah) and their criticisms, suggesting that while not all magical explanations are directly applicable to etymologies, the underlying reliance on resemblance is a crucial shared element.
  • The "Magic" of Language: The article implies that semantic etymologies, like certain forms of magic, tap into a belief in a hidden, interconnected order of reality where resemblance signifies genuine connection. The effectiveness of both is not necessarily explained by explicit causal mechanisms but by a deeper, perhaps subconscious, recognition of pattern and correspondence.

In essence, Bronkhorst argues that semantic etymologies, found universally across cultures, are not arbitrary linguistic curiosities but rather expressions of a fundamental human inclination to find meaning and connection through perceived similarities, a tendency that also underpins many forms of ritual and "magic."