The Reception of Indian Grammatical Tradition in the Indo-European Linguistics
The Concept of the Root, the Ablaut and the Laryngeal Theory
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12797/CIS.28.2026.01.11Keywords:
Indian grammarians, Pāṇini, Indo-European linguistics, Ablaut, laryngeal theoryAbstract
This paper examines the reception and impact of the Indian grammatical tradition, especially of Pāṇini’s Aṣṭādhyāyī, on the development of Indo-European linguistics. While Pāṇini’s grammar was initially introduced to Europe in the context of Sanskrit studies, its methodological precision and systematic character influenced comparative and historical linguistics more broadly. After sketching European scholars’ early encounters with the Indian grammatical tradition, the paper focuses on two main areas of reception: the concept of the root and its role in morphological analysis, and the problem of Ablaut and its reinterpretation in light of Indo-European reconstruction, culminating in the laryngeal theory.
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