Syntax Dependent Sentences in Sanskrit

[सीताराम]

Namaste, 

its said that sanskrit is not syntax dependent like english and other languages, words can be arranged in any order it will convey the same meaning. As shown in the example below 

Cat drinks milk.  Milk drinks cat. (Changes the meaning completely)

are there any such sentences in sanskrit that can cause havoc by mare rearrangement of words in a different order. 

regards

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धन्यवाद: - राम 

[Vidya R]

निश्चयेन ।

Fact:

1.  रामः बिडालस्य स्वामी ।    2.   बिडालः क्षीरं पिबति ।

Sentences:

a.  रामस्य बिडालः क्षीरं पिबति ।         b. बिडालः रामस्य क्षीरं पिबति ।

The associations are different based on where 'rAmasya' is placed.

Other examples:  (You can see 'mitrasya' floating across the sentence).

1.  रामः वाहनेन भोजनाय क्रीडाङ्गणात् सायङ्काले मित्रस्य गृहं गच्छति ।

2.  रामः मित्रस्य वाहनेन भोजनाय क्रीडाङ्गणात् सायङ्काले गृहं गच्छति ।

3.  रामः वाहनेन मित्रस्य भोजनाय क्रीडाङ्गणात् सायङ्काले गृहं गच्छति ।

4.  रामः वाहनेन भोजनाय मित्रस्य क्रीडाङ्गणात् सायङ्काले गृहं गच्छति ।

The other 'vibhakti's can also be similarly moved around, modifying the meaning, though probably not as freely as the 'ShaShThI'.  Is the changed meaning as drastic as the English sentences originally quoted?  I am sure that is debatable.

shubham

vidyA

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From: सीताराम <raam...@gmail.com>
To: sams...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2012 11:56 AM
Subject: [Samskrita] Syntax Dependent Sentences in Sanskrit

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[Vidya R]

"The other 'vibhakti's can also be similarly moved around, modifying the meaning" - This is very likely an incorrect statement.  As the 'vibhakti' we choose for a word is dictated by its relationship to the 'kriyA padam'.

'avyayas' like 'api', 'eva' 'na' can move around, changing the emphasis / meaning in a sentence.

vidyA

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From: Vidya R <imar...@yahoo.com>
To: "sams...@googlegroups.com" <sams...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2012 12:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Samskrita] Syntax Dependent Sentences in Sanskrit

[Hnbhat B.R.]

Really this seems to be debatable. The fact shasthi vibhakti needs another noun to be related it, makes it easy to be related with the noun following it immediately than those nouns preceding it or following it after it many words. This makes the syntactical relation easier, than the the syntactical order is flexible. We keep the words in the order in the languages familiar to us in the fixed order making us easier appreciation, when the order is changed for metrical purpose in shloka-s mostly. But there are easier structures also keeping kartr - karma - kriya syntactical order commonly understandable to Indian language speakers. But the meanings of the words are decided by the inflection of the words by vibhakti-s and some vibhakti-s need collocation of another word either indeclinable or verb. but they are not dependent on their order. but only relation is fixed.

For the many of them are not used in the beginning of the words conjunctive ca, and api are of the fixed order, coordinate the word preceeding them. raamasyaapi gaavaH, gaavo raamasyaapi krishnasya? api raamasya gaavaH? making the slight change changing into question, which is inherent in the word api itself, than the order. But it depends on the meaning.

Of course, we can change if we want, any order to give the relative meaning slightly according to the language order we are familiar. In Sanskrit it is flexible and we can make use of it to get our desired meaning.

Hope this throws some light on the fact.

[Hnbhat B.R.]

Here are the books on Sanskrit Syntax and Grammar in English written by linguists:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-ueXU4do-o_MVItaVZhWkU3QmM

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-ueXU4do-o_YlYxRnQ2YVFmcDg

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-ueXU4do-o_ckxZTFRpVUZadVk

With regards

[Vidya R]

In 'complex' sentences, there is scope for moving things around.  (In dvikarmaka dhAtus also, you will have scope for creating mixups.)

रामः जलं पिबति ।  फलं खादति ।

रामः जलं पीत्वा फलं खादति ।

(order changed)

रामः फलं पीत्वा जलं खादति ।

रामः पिबति ।  खादति ।  पठति । गच्छति ।

रामः पीत्वा खादित्वा पठित्वा गच्छति ।

(order changed)

रामः खादित्वा पठित्वा पीत्वा गच्छति ।

shubham

vidyA

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From: Vidya R <imar...@yahoo.com>
To: "sams...@googlegroups.com" <sams...@googlegroups.com>

Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2012 12:51 PM

[Hnbhat B.R.]

On Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 9:14 PM, Vidya R <imar...@yahoo.com> wrote:

In 'complex' sentences, there is scope for moving things around.  (In dvikarmaka dhAtus also, you will have scope for creating mixups.)

रामः जलं पिबति ।  फलं खादति ।

रामः जलं पीत्वा फलं खादति ।

(order changed)

रामः फलं पीत्वा जलं खादति ।

रामः पिबति ।  खादति ।  पठति । गच्छति ।

रामः पीत्वा खादित्वा पठित्वा गच्छति ।

(order changed)

रामः खादित्वा पठित्वा पीत्वा गच्छति ।

shubham

vidyA

Here in all the examples, the ktvA suffix needs a follow up finite verb as it is affixed to a verb that precedes another verb (whether finite or infinite) in all the above sentences, there is a predicative  finite verb and all others preceding it take equally infinite ktvA suffix. The order of precedence can be changed in accordance of the sequence of the action. The ktvA-affixed verbs themselves decide the sequence of the actions and the finite verb always in the final position generally. The finite verb may come in the final position or in the beginning position doesn't matter, but the sequence decides the auxilliary infinite verbs' position.

With regards

[Vimala Sarma]

Happy Vijayadasami to all gurus in the group!

gurubhyo namaH

 

The best text that discusses all syntax relationships is Speijerś Sanskrit Syntax and some kind soul on the group should scan this in and make it available as a free resource on the net.

Vimala

 

Dr Vimala Sarma

My new e-mail is sarma...@gmail.com

+612 9699 4414

+61 409 690 220

[Hnbhat B.R.]

On Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 6:15 AM, Vimala Sarma <vsa...@bigpond.com> wrote:

Happy Vijayadasami to all gurus in the group!

gurubhyo namaH

 

The best text that discusses all syntax relationships is Speijerś Sanskrit Syntax and some kind soul on the group should scan this in and make it available as a free resource on the net.

Vimala

Dear Madam,

Please read earlier messages also instead of only the recent one.  

It is already available in the net and I have downloaded and made available in Google Drive if you are using Google Chrome Browser, they are available on clicking the Drive icon. For others I had provided to the link to it, along with one later work on Syntax and Grammar and the Sanskrit Guide to Composition by Apte.

Here is the link to my message:

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/samskrita/ecHLXcJH4rI/-WrtV-HjFiUJ

I could not note the names of each which will be available in the document itself in the GDrive itself. The first link itself will take you to Speizers book. The later one is a later one by some Dvivedi and the last by VS Apte.

With regards