Journal | Bhasha
Journal issue | 3 | 2 | 2024
Research Article | Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit: How Did It Originate?
Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit: How Did It Originate?
Abstract
Since Edgerton 1953, Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (BHS) has been considered a sanskritization of Prakrit, based on strong linguistic evidence: lexical items are Sanskritic, endings Prakritic. Sanskritization has been argued as motivated by a need to compete with Sanskrit-using brahmins. The issue of how sanskritization might have been accomplished is the topic of this paper. In early AD, Sanskrit was spread by brahmins as language of technical and fine literature. The curriculum of schools imparting Sanskrit instruction started with memorization of a Sanskrit lexicon and a version of Pāṇini’s grammar. The link between these was established in later years. Sanskritization of BHS can be explained in terms of early Buddhist students only completing the initial stage of instruction. This would provide them with a Sanskrit lexicon for replacing Prakrit words. However, not yet knowing how to apply the grammatical rules, students would use Prakritic endings. Support for this hypothesis comes from Kapstein’s (2018) account of grammatically deficient, but lexically accurate Sanskrit compositions by medieval Tibetans, as resulting from acquiring grammar and lexicon separately, ‘with almost no training in practical application’. I conclude by considering the implications of my proposal as well as the similarities and differences between BHS and ‘Bilingual Mixed Languages’.
Submitted: June 6, 2024 | Accepted: Nov. 8, 2024 | Published Dec. 18, 2024 | Language: en
Keywords Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit • Bilingual Mixed Languages • Tibetan parallel • Historical development • Sanskritization
Copyright © 2024 Hans Henrich Hock. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/bhasha/2785-5953/2024/02/001
