The Theory of language acquisition and communication

The Theory of language acquisition and communication

      Language is the chief communication tool in day-to-day transactions and also in learning, understanding and imparting various kinds of knowledge, disciplines and skills. Maya which is also known as primordial sound, and its transformations understood in combination with the SabdabrahmaSiddhanta throws light on language learning and communication processes.  SabdabrahmaSiddhanta based on Upanishadic insight provides four modes of language communication and reception process; para-- mode of awareness/purport/import/taatparya--;pasyanti –mode of verb or sense or mood/artha--;madhyama-mode of sentence (vaakya),-- andvaikhari –mode of utterance in sound form (speech), which can be successfully used to understand human language acquisition, communication and usage processes.

Brahma Jnana:

Vakyapadeeyam text endorses all the understanding of concept of mind and its functions of Vedanta school and describes, discusses and proposesinsight relating to human language acquisition and communication. The following sloka from Brahma Kanda of Vakyapadeeeyam is the gist of what all is discussed above.

 I anaadinidhanam brahma sabdatatvamyataksharam

vivartatearthabhaavenaprakriyaajagatoyatah

This sloka states Brahma nityatvam and vivartanopadatvam(reversible becoming)ofjagat as meanings/senses (artha)/ urges/thoughts/feelings (bhava) /expressions/utterances-the arthabhavenaprakriyaa- from Brahman.

This means that from Brahman/Atman originate all essence, import, purport, sense, feelings/thoughts, utterances and the reverse of all these when being learnt/known during the acquisition and communication of all knowledge including language acquiring and communication abilities.

Sphota is upadanakarana – material cause of jagat (in the form of all mental functions) which is a restatement of all that is discussed in Vedanta, the Advaita insight of AdiSankara (UpanishadicCommentaries) and Vidyaranaya (Vedanta Panchadasi), in Vedanta.

      All this can be scientifically stated that, Atman or Brahman is the result of breathing process.Srestaprana, (most possibly O₂, and the consequent   rhythmic gaseous exchange taking place in the lungs)) is given as the body ( tanu ) of Atman VasistaGanapathi Muni. Atman is always in motion (yasyagamanamsatatam tat atma – which moves incessantly is Atman) and is the result of breathing process and in modern scientific terms can be termed as a bio-oscillator/bio-maser/bio-laser issuing out pulses of mental (chit) energy. A period 10^-1 of a second, the time required to pronounce a short syllable like ‘a’ is put forward as the time- period of this oscillator  {It is interesting here to mention that the mental rhythms detected by the experiment by German scientist Hans Berger using EEG (electro-encephalogram) also have the same time- period of 10^-1 sec}.  Thus this insight proposes Atman or Brahman as a biomechanical oscillator of frequency in the infrasonic (  = 10 Hz) range 

SphotaVada:

     TheVedanta model of Atman/Brahman and maya/pranavam perfectly suits, reflects and represents SphotaVada beautifully. Maya, also known aspranavam, and its transformations understood in combination with the SabdabrahmaSiddhanta throws light on language learning and communication processes.  The exposition in Vakyapadeeyamclearly informs atmachaitanyam(pravanam/chit sakti) itself is sphota. Thus sphota is Brahman or atman or chit saktiin content. Sphota is paravak,the consciousness/awareness as essence of utterances which precedespasyanti, madhyama and vaikhari in the speaker/teacher and succeeds in listener./student/leaner and transforms itself to be these three vaks.Sphota originates in the Brahman of speaker to be upadana(material) andnimitta(instrumental) karana (cause) for both communication and acquisition of languages/disciplines/knowledge/skills and merges in the Brahman of the listener to give meaning/experience and oneness with what is said and heard/cognized.

     Though paravak nomenclature is later to Bhartruhari, it correctly and aptly fits in the scheme of explanation and understanding the process of language communication and acquisition in humans. This is available in the Brahma Kanda of Vakyapadeeyam (slokas111 to 117) itself even though the term paravak is not used. The gist of these slokas pertains to the stating of the existence of a subtle energy [termed as Jnaata(which is Atman/Brahman itself)] and its vivartanam- tirodhanapurodhanayutavartanam-backward/forwarddirectedchange - reversible becoming of sphota asjagat by prakriyabheda is very clearly put forward. Also para state is consciousness inAdvaita (Aham-Aham series) phase and awareness in dvaita (Aham-idam series) phase (Aham=Atman/Brahman, idam=prapancham, jagat or viswam and corresponds to state of mental functions).

     According another school of thought para is opined to originate atmooladhara (at the origin of spinal cord),pasyanti is formed in nabhi(navel),madhymaa in hrudaya(around physical heart region) and vaikahriat kantha(throat).

 These actually correspond to the evolution of physical form and shape of uttered sound-the vaikhari mode of language. Paravak becomes pasyanti and is in subtle form in buddhi(bodha-awareness) and this is what cognized by the listener. This will be in electrochemical form and originates in the brain. Brain signals are transmitted through spinal cord to themooladhara and the physical sound form starts to take shape by combining with air (pranavayu) that is being breathed and culminates as audible sound in vocal chords transduced from electrochemical form to mechanical/sound form and is expressed by the movements of the cheeks, tongue, lips etc.,; all this is nomenclature for the physical evolution of uttered sound, vaikhari, whose origin is in the brain. Dwaupadanasabdeshu…..sloka also informs that sphota is the real sabda which is different from audible sounds and itself by transforming (actually transducing-changing from one form of energy into another form of energy)- becomes various sounds represented by various letters by associating with the movements of vocal chords which in turn are manifested in the movements of cheeks, tongue, lips etc.,

Sphota is thus synonymous withpravanavam and is the infrasonic form of sound energy pulses (frequency less than or equal to 10 Hz). This definition very well suits the traditional one that sphota is issued out, by veechi-taranga(just as air waves get transmitted) or kadamba-mukula (kadamba-flower bud blossoms)(a method of evolving and issuing out.)nyaya.

As is known, the very term ‘sphuta’ means which is issued out. Further the silent nature of thesphota is both because it originates from silence (nature and physical form of Brahman-the infrasonic oscillator of frequency 10 Hz). Sphota is praakrutadhvani (primordial sound, thepranavam) which reversibly transforms itself to make humans conscious, cognitive and communicative through language. Thus Sphota is physically infrasonic sound form and is responsible for all human mental functions both materially (upadanakarana) and instrumentally (nimittakarana) 

     Also according to Upanishads knowledge is of two kinds- (i) that acquired   through the combined operation of sense organs, action organs and inner mental tools in the awareness of Atman ( MaitraJnanaacquired knowledge-) and (ii) that is inherent / genetic/hormonal  (VarunaJnana). All our acquisitions of knowledge come under Maitra Jnana and the in-built senses (iccha and arthasaktis)- psychic energies manifesting desires and meanings/moods.urges, volitions, body and mental abilities, capabilities, nature etc., come under Varuna Jnana.

   Thus human knowledge is of two kinds: (i) acquired knowledge (through sense organs in tune with inner mental tools, which can be termed as biophysical and (ii) inherent or genetic knowledge and which is hormonal, which can be termed as biochemical Especially the instincts, urges, sense (meaning/understanding/insight/intuition/experience) are inbuilt biochemically in the organism. Both kinds of knowledge are activated and used in all the phases, cognitive states and functional states of mind. Indian knowledge systems as described above also named mind with separate name for each of its functions-collectively as inner mental tools-antahakaranas.

In both the kinds of acquiring and retrieving knowledge from iytside the body and within the body,sphota plays chief role. The order of energy transformations during cognition process or language acquisition or communication process is: 

-arthasakti (mental energy as meanings) in the form of biochemical energy inbuilt as icchasakti (urge/desire/volition) -the pasyanti- mode becomes jnaanasakti, the madhyamamodeand assumes electro-chemical form with the help of modulation process when arthasakti/ icchasakti in subject-object free verb / meaning / sense form - changes to sentence form with subject and object and this further modulates/transduces (changes from one form of energy into another form) into kriyasakti, the vaikhari mode, the mechanical form as physical audible sounds and utterance.

Concept of Bhakti and Vibhakti:

Bhakti defined as     

swaswaroopaanusandhanambhaktirityabhidhiyate-tuning the mind to its origin and original form (Upanishads) or chetovrittirupetyatisthatisadaasaabhaitirityuchyate-the state in which the mind disengages itself from all vrittis(Sivanandalahari)- antahakaranaparinamas (manasikagathi)-functioning state of mind -reversible transformations of inner mental tools-manas, buddhi, ahamkaram and chittam- and attains nivritti state (nirmalamanasikasthiti) stays as that -is the normal or natural or ground –energy state of mind.  

This is the state of   absence of mental functions - the two-way transformation of maya /pranavam//sphota and antahkaranaThis is the state of Atman or Brahman as tatparaor tatparya–state of purport/essence/importor rasa..  In this state the chidabhasa orvirtual chit -energy maya/pranavam/sphota – does not transform into antahkaranas (no vivartanam takes place) and no antahkaranaparinama takes place. 

 This state is also known as suddhasattavaguna state, which amounts to nirguna (no cognition- fullness of Self experience as peace, bliss, silence) state.  Sattvaguna, (awareness), Rajoguna (antahkarana mode) or Tamoguna– these gunas (knots – bindings of mind to object experiences/cognitions - (antahkaranamaparinama-cognition of objective energy-form) are transformations of maya/pranavam/sphota, and reverse transformation of maya/pranavam/sphota and cessation of transformation maya/pranavam/sphota-the dvaita and advaita conscious states respectively- taking place simultaneously, consecutively and alternately is the structure, form, function, state and essence of human cognitive, language acquisition and communication  processes.  All this is also embedded into the following slokasof Brahma Kanda of Vakyapadeeyam.

PaanineeyaSiksha -

Aatmabuddhyaasametyarthaan mano yunktevivkshaya

Manahakaayaagnimaahantisapreyarayatimaaruthum

Maarutastoorasicharanmandramjanayatiswaram

Meaning: manas – theperceivingantahakarana - workstogetherwithBrahman/Atman (consciousness) and intellect (buddyaa) as reversible mechanicalengerytransformations (air wave transformations) and becomesswara – mechanicalenergyform - formingthebasisfortheutterancesound.

According to Sabdabrahmatheory the human language communication process is a combination and quick successive forward and reversible transformations of four modes i.e.,

I. Speaker/Teacher: Language communication:

 (a) Pure Consciousness/Purport/Unoccupied Awareness (Meaningful Experience or Experienced Meaning- para)

(b) Understanding/ Experience/ Sense/ Mood/Volition/ Intuition (pasyanti)

(c) Perception/Thinking/Feeling (madhyama)

(d) Utterance /Expression (vaikhari)

 II. Knower/ Listener/ Learner: Language learning/acquisition and understanding:

 (a) Knowing (through sense organs)-vaikhari

(b) Perception/Thinking - madhyama

(c) Understanding/ Experience/Sense/mood/Volition/Intuition -pasyanti

(d) Pure Consciousness/Purport (Meaningful Experience/ Experienced Meaning)/Unoccupied Awareness- para.

            In this theory theadvaita state - JagratSushupti(wakeful sleep – consciousness/awareness without mind functioning]-proposed by Vedantins corresponds to para mode of language communication process. This is the tatparya (purport) or rasa (experienced meaning) state.  This tatparya state is a state of awareness of experience of meanings.  And in this awareness the untransformed maya is the flow of suddhavasanas.Pasyanti mode of language is the state of senses (of words/sentences) or arthasthiti or state of verb.  The verb will be in a present continuous or infinite form without subject and object 

            When an object energy-form, the tanmatra, [objective energy forms- optical-light(eye), mechanical (ear) -sound chemical (nose and tongue), mechanical, thermal(skin) a vishaya(cognized object)- ] is sensed through antahkaranas, this verb state becomes a state of sentence – bhava or thought.  This state is known asmadhyama mode of language -the vibhakti state of sentence or thought and is the modulated sphota (undergonevivartanam – reversible change). This modulated energy- form gets transformed into sound energy through vocal chords’ movement and is expressed /uttered.  This is the vaikhari mode of language.  All this happens in the speaker/teacher.

            This uttered sound-energy (the vaikhari mode of language) is picked up by the ears (sense organs) of the listener/learner and becomes sentence in the madhyama mode- the modulated sphotamode in conjugation with the antahkaranas(inner mental tools).  This sentence-energy form in madhyamamode is in subject-verb-object (the triad-triputi) form.  This mode of language gets demodulated  (reverse transformation of sphota - the vivartanam in the reverse direction) into meaning,  resulting in understanding/experience in the pasyanti mode- to a verb (sense), in present continuous or infinite form, the subject and object being dissolved in the sense of uttered /expressed sound..  This, when meaningfully experienced in the awareness ofpara mode, is the purport or rasa or tatparya of the uttered word- Bliss, Being, Peace or Unoccupied  Awareness , the normal or natural state of mind -  i.e,  the state of Self,  Atman  or Brahman.

    Thus chit-energy pulses, being issued out by Atman ( Sat-Chit-Ananda) and after getting reflected in themedha as virtual or  chit- energy (chidabhasa or mayaorpranavamorsphota) pulses , first get modulated from this para / rasa / tatparya state by cognizing stored energies in potential  (jada) form–in the form of  subject-object- free verbs/senses, experiences,  intuitions, understandings, urges , volitions through theantahkarnachittam to be transformed in to the mode of pasyanti; then again gets transformed into subject-verb-object state, the madhyama mode -  by simultaneously cognizing the object energy-forms –vishayas,  stored as  potential energy   (jada) forms – as  idam, jagat orprapancham  through the antahkarana, manas in the awareness of within –antarmukhadristi- asbhavas or thoughts. Intellectual operations such as reasoning, decision making, take place in this awareness.  When the antahkarana, manas is tuned to the object energy-forms (light-eye, sound-ear, chemical- tongue, nose and  heat, mechanical-skin) throughjnanendriyas –sense organs- then the awareness becomes bahirmukhadristi-awareness of without.  This process (in expresser/teacher and the reverse of this process, (demodulation in listener/knower/learner) happen in human-beings while expressing/speaking or listening/learning- as transformation or reverse transformation respectively-together known as vivartanam- ofmaya/sphota and antahkarnas in conjugation with sense organs and action organs, karmendriyas.

Discussion about above modes of language acquisition and communication:

            In the theory of language proposed by Sanskrit grammarians theadvaita state - JagratSushupti- corresponds to para mode of language acquisition and communication process. This is the purport orexperienced meaning state.  This state is a state of awareness of experience of meanings.  And in this awareness the untransformed virtual mental reflection is the flow of pure experiences.Pasyanti mode of language is the state of sense (of words/sentences) or arthasthiti or state of verb.  The verb will be in a present continuous or infinite form without subject and object attached.

            When an object energy-form is sensed through inner mental tools , this verb state becomes a state of sentence – feeling or thought.  This state is known asmadhyama mode of language -the state of sentence or thought and is the modulated form of virtual mental energy reflection. This modulated energy- form gets transformed into sound energy through vocal chords’ movement and is expressed /uttered.  This is the vaikhari mode of language.  All this happens in the speaker/teacher.

            This uttered sound-energy (the vaikhari mode of language) is picked up by the ears (sense organs) of the listener/learner and becomes sentence in the madhyama mode- the modulated virtual mental energy formmode in conjugation with the inner mental tools.  This sentence-energy form in madhyamamode is in subject-verb-object (the triad-triputi) form.  This mode of language gets demodulated  (reverse transformation of maya - the becoming in the reverse direction) into meaning,  resulting in understanding/experience in the pasyanti mode- to a verb (sense), in present continuous or infinite form, the subject and object being dissolved in the sense of uttered /expressed sound..  This, when meaningfully experienced in the awareness ofpara mode, is the purport or import of the uttered word- Bliss, Being, Peace or Unoccupied  Awareness , the normal or natural state of mind -  i.e,  the state of Self,  Atman  or Brahman.

            Thus psychic energy (virtual mental energy reflection) pulses,  being issued out by Atman [Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being-Pure Consciousness-Bliss)] and after getting reflected in the medha, (can be medulla oblongata or reticular formation?)as virtual or  chit- energy (virtual mental energy reflection) pulses , first get modulated from this para / rasa / purport mode by cognizing stored energies in potential  (jada) form–in the form of  subject-object- free verbs/senses, experiences,  intuitions, understandings, urges , volitions through theinner mental tool  chittam to be transformed in to the mode of verb, mood, experience-pasyanti; then again gets transformed into sentence -subject-verb-object state, the madhyama mode -  by simultaneously cognizing the object energy-forms –  stored as  potential energy   (jada) forms – as  inner mental world  through the inner mental tool,manas in the awareness of within –- as feelings or thoughts. Intellectual operations such as reasoning, decision making, take place in this awareness.  When the inner mental tool, manas is tuned to the object energy-forms (light-eye, sound-ear, chemical- tongue, nose and heat, mechanical-skin) through–sense organs- then the awareness becomes -awareness of without.  This process (in expresser/teacher and the reverse of this process, (demodulation in listener/knower/learner) happen in human-beings while expressing/speaking or listening/learning- as transformation or reverse transformation respectively-together known as reversible becoming- ofmaya and inner mental tools in conjugation with sense organs and action organs.Further the inner mental tool buddhi takes care of intellectual operations and other mental tool, ahamkaram takes care of self-consicousness. Both buddhi andahamkaram are electro-chemical forms of mental energy reflection maya.

This is the essence or gist of human cognitive process and language acquisition and communication process as envisaged by the Upanishads and the advaita philosophy together with SabdabrahmaSiddhantain terms of vivartanam (modulation and demodulation of psychic energy). Thus this simple model of integrated psychology (the science on mind and mental functions) and language communication process when compared with the radio broadcasting and reception processes (modulation and demodulation), depicts the model of human cognitive process involving energy transofrmations.  This model provides necessary soft-ware while constructing machines which can perform human mental tasks which can be used in the disciplines of cognitive sciences and natural language comprehension branch of artificial intelligence.

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