Prolegomena to Prakritica et Jainica

SR No.: 011088
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Asiatic Society
Total Pages: 248
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

Page 156

BANERJEE : ANEKĀNTAVĀDA AND LANGUAGE
139
is conveyed by its deep structure. Take a sentence like a new idea is often valuable.
The main function of the deep structure is to elucidate the explicit meaning of a sentence which is not provided by a surface structure outwardly.
Here
a new idea
may mean
the idea is new
the idea is, in fact, new
the idea which is new
in the deep structure
the idea is new
In the above sentence, the deep structure meaning of "the idea is new" is not explicitly conveyed by the surface structure "a new idea". It should be borne in mind that "deep structure of a sentence gives its meaning because the deep structure contains all of the information required to determine the meaning of a sentence."
The surface structure is the sentence which is actually produced, which is actually written or spoken. The deep structure implies the inner intended meaning of a sentence which the native speaker of the language takes into account. The surface structure shows the sentence in communication, whereas the deep structure of a sentence tells us the significance of the sentence so spoken. In fact, the deep structure ultimately expresses the semantic aspect of a sentence which can be elicited from the sentence.
The next point which arises in this context is to state the relationship between the deep and surface structures of a sentence, or vice versa. The answer to this question is simple. The relationship between the deep and surface structures is transformation which functions as a link between the two. In other words, a deep structure becomes