Research Abstract Semantics of Hindi Coordinating Conjunctions

Transcription

1 Research Abstract Semantics of Hindi Coordinating Conjunctions Researcher, Anamika Kumari, Session: , Reg. No 2011/01/304/003, Research Supervisor, Prof. Umashankar Upadhyay, The Former Dean, School of Language and Head, Department of Language - Technology, School of Language, M.G.A.H.V. Wardha. Introduction Sentence is the most important tool/medium for the human language expression. A man thinks in the form of sentences and expresses his/her ideas and feelings form of different sentences as per the volition and requirement of the linguistic structure. Form the structural point of view, sentence is an important unit of language, being the largest grammatical form of a language. Complete expression of meaning is also possible by sentence because it also constitutes the smallest unit of communication. In every sentence noun, pronoun, adjective, verb and indeclinable have a definite place and fulfil certain role in the form of subject, object, compliment, modifier, predicate and connectives etc. Words used in the sentences have their lexical and functional meaning. On the basis of construction there are three types of sentences simple, complex and compound. When two or more simple sentences are conjoined by coordinating conjunctions they are called compound sentences; and these two or more sentences have semantic coordination between them. These connectives are coordinating conjunctions e.g.,,,, etc. in Hindi. Use of these words in any sentence show different semantic relations i.e. 1

2 (Sequential relationship) (Adverse relationship). Generally coordinating conjunction connectives is used in simple and compound sentences, which connect two homogeneous words and phrases in simple sentences and connect two or more clauses and independent sentences in compound sentences. Present research is based on semantic study and analysis of Hindi coordinating conjunctions and it contains semantic analysis of functional and referential meaning based on the semantic determinants; viz. structural components of sentence and word collocation. Hypothesis: 1. Similarity is found only two a certain semantic extent in the use of different Hindi coordinating conjunctions. 2. There are referential and semantic differences in Hindi coordinating conjunctions. Chapterization: The research work is classified in to five chapters In the first chapter entitled Grammatical structure of Hindi and conjunction the word classes have been classified on the basis of the through the morphological structure of Hindi language, in to the subclasses i.e. variables and invariables (indeclinable) and the invariable conjunctions have been further classified in to subclasses (coordinate and subordinate conjunction) describing their form and construction. In this same chapter there is an analysis of role of the conjunctions in the syntactic structure explaining the functional differentiation in the simple, compound and complex sentences. 2

3 In the same chapter it is shown that the main clauses are coordinate clauses in the compound sentences which are connected by comma, semicolon (, ;) or aur by connectives (viz., coordinating conjunction,,,, etc.), whereas subordinating conjunctions (..,...,... etc.) are used to connect and establish a relation with the main sentence and one or more dependent clauses (complex sentences) on structural level. All the sentences which are connected with coordinating conjunction cannot be called compound sentences, because the coordinating conjunction are also used to connect two or more words if the same category in a simple sentence to combine and compound phrases. Under the sub unit Hindi Coordinating Conjunction: former discourse the ideas of grammarian on the ideas regarding Hindi Coordinating Conjunctions by former writers are discussed by mentions of grammatical and semantic classifications done before the present work. In the second chapter Semantic structure of Hindi and Conjunction according to lexical and grammatical meanings of Hindi coordinating and subordinating conjunctions meanings have been analyzed on the basis of different dictionaries, depending on which there is derivational/etymological variance and semantic similarities in different synonyms of the conjunctions is also analyzed. Under the grammatical meanings the conjunctions are analyzed and explained on the basis of functional and sentential use, within which role and functions of conjunctions at the deep and surface structure of a sentence on the syntactic level are analyzed. 3

4 Coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence is used to connect congener subject, predicate and congener object. The connective coordinating conjunction is also used like noun, pronoun, adjective and adverb besides as connector in a sentence. In the third Chapter Stylistic variations of Hindi Coordinating Conjunctions: A Quantitative Study Under the sub unit Stylistic variations it is indicated that in medieval times influence of Persian - Arabic and in modern time influence of English on Hindi language together has affected the use of Hindi Coordinating Conjunctions; i.e. Only is used in Hindi, Hindustani and Persian - Arabic style but, are used in Standard Hindi and Sanskritesed Hindi. In Dvandva compounds, is deleted as in compound words -, -, -, -, -, but in Persian compound words is not deleted and its used in the form of by combining with predecessor words, e.g. ( ), ( ),,,, etc. In the subunit Frequency on the basis of uses, changes and selection of Coordinating Conjunctions in Hindi texts for their quantitative frequency check, random sample different types of Hindi texts has been selected in which Hindi News papers (Editorials, Economics and sports), Hindi short stories, and some government notices have been analyzed. Under the unit Repetition ( ) it has been shown that there are changes in the meaning of joined Coordinating 4

5 Conjunctions whom there is repetition e.g.,,, are generally used as connectors on surface level but when they are in concord with other terms or phrases in the sentence, there are semantic changes in them. In the fourth chapter Hindi Coordinating Conjunctions: A Formal Approach the Formal approaches which is used for the semantic analysis, in the field of language use of has been elaborated This approach comes under Formal Semantics, are which aspects of Truth Conditional Semantics, Montague Grammar and Model Theoretic Semantics are described to explain the correlation of logic and truth. Under the formal approaches to meaning translation and transformation of sentence of any natural language (Hindi and English) is done by logical signs of Universal Metalanguage. For this two types of logic have been determined (1) Predicate logic (2) Propositional logic. In natural language from the grammatical point of view connecters are used to connect two sentences for formation of compound sentence, the conjunctions that are used being, and. Based on truth functionality their behavioral, functional difference can be understood. In the fifth chapter entitled Hindi Coordinating Conjunction: A Cognitive Approach, Cognitive approach is elaborated. This approach is used in the Cognitive Semantics. The salient points of this chapter are Language and Linguistic competence, Cognition, Cognitive Semantics, Meaning and Cognitive approaches, Cognitive Grammar, Hindi Coordinating Conjunction Correlations and 5

6 Cognitive approaches. The inherent Semantics Correlation (Temporal Correlations, sequential Correlations, cumulative Correlations and contrastive Correlations) between the phrases, clauses and sentences, in the simple or compound sentences combined by various types of Coordinating Conjunction; (like Cumulative, Disjunctive य, Adversative, Illative,) have been analyzed on the basis of Cognitive approach. Research Methodology: In this research for linguistic studies Quantitative Research with structural method has been used and to check and study stylistics variations and frequency of Hindi coordinating conjunctions. Quantitative Research has been undertaken. Conclusion: This research is related with semantic study and analysis of Hindi coordinating conjunctions. Study of Hindi coordinating conjunctions regarding their functions and use at each level of Hindi language (i.e. Morphological and Syntactic level) is undertaken. In which on the basis of their etymology formation and lexical information, it can be said that there is a limit to this functional meaning when they are used in sentences coordinating conjunction is not only used as a form of connector but also used in the form of noun, pronoun, verb, adjective etc. in a sentence. In the Hindi Coordinating Conjunctions due to the influence of other 6

7 languages, a stylistic variations occurs, but there are no semantic variations in between synonyms of Hindi Coordinating Conjunctions. In semantic analysis, formal approach which is based on logic and mathematics, it can be seen that it is necessary that the truth conditional correlation must be there between the two componential sentences which constitute a compound sentence. But it is not necessary to have the same condition with other compound sentences which are connected with other connectors (i.e. ). Limitations: In this research work only syntactic level has been taken on the syntactic level. Discourse level content has also been taken, but its use is limited to the clarification of meaning. Study and analysis of Hindi coordinating conjunction is based on semantics. Possibility: The research is based on semantic study and analysis of Hindi coordinating conjunctions. This research will be helpful to understand the function and use of Hindi coordinating conjunctions. In future this research work could be the basis of construction of relevant rules in the perspective of fields of Natural Language Processing (NLP); i.e. Machine Translation (MT) and Text Analysis. This research is associated with the semantic analysis and study of Hindi coordinating conjunctions so it would be of help in disambiguation. 7