Pāṇini, the foremost grammarian of India, occupies a unique position in the world history of
intellectual traditions. His grammar of the Sanskrit language is at the same time the oldest and the
most perfect available grammar, which offers a framework for a universal grammar. With its
comprehensive and analytical approach Pāṇini’s grammar has presented a model for language
analysis.
The lecture aims at highlighting some of the striking features of his linguistc analysis which can
be summed up as follows:
1. Formalism: a mathematical model for language analysis.
2. Metalanguage: technical terminology and conventions of interpretation, abbreviatory
mechanisms.
3. Descriptive technique: economy, generalization, derivational generative system,
substitution and other operations, ordering of rules.
4. Grammar as a psycholinguistic analysis.