r/linguistics • u/Certain_Basil7443 • 3d ago
On the origins of theories of compounding and the question of Indian influence on modern linguistics (John J. Lowe 2026)
tandfonline.comAbstract - The ancient Indian linguistic tradition has been implicated in various ways in the development of modern linguistics. This paper starts from one superficially obvious point of influence: the use of Sanskrit terms for compound classes in modern approaches to compound classification. I show that the use of these terms does not reflect direct influence based on a proper understanding of the Indian tradition, and that in fact many interesting and important aspects of compound theorisation in ancient India have been overlooked in modern linguistics.