Buddhist Language Function Studies

Taking Buddhism as an example, the thesis aims at exploring the unique functions of the Buddhist language from the perspective of religious studies. If we examine the application of language from the perspective of Buddhist language and its verbal communication,we can broaden the horizon of and insight into the language function. This perspective can enrich the connotation of language function,and make us grasp the meaning of language function more comprehensively. In this thesis, two reseach aproaches in religious studies were employed: etic perspective and emic perspective.All functions of Buddhist language fell into two categories: instrumental function and constuctive function in this thesis. Representative periods of Buddhist history and Buddhist sects were selected, and instrumental functions of the Buddhist language were anylyzed during this process. This thesis analyzes the ethical function and the dissemination of Buddhist language in the Primitive Buddhism period, the debate on the issue of whether language can reflect the objective world faithfully in the Sectarian Buddhism period,and highest wisdom Enlightenment function of prajnāsect of the Mahayana Buddhism. The point of view of non-function of language held by Madhyamika,religious practise function in Esoteric Buddhism, and the mantras function, the mental and phisical control function, the Phatic function and the emotional regulation function in the Pure Land Buddhism,the symbolic function in Zen language are also analyzed. Then, the thesis analyzes the constructive functions of the Buddhist language. It includes the function of religious relationship constuction in the Buddhist discipline, as well as the function of constuction of the religious sentiments by building a sense of oftiness and sacredness. Finally, constructive function of the language of Buddhism on daily vocabulary of Chinese was analyzed. The thesis studies the types of unique functions of the Buddhist languaguge and make the concret function of language in Buddhist field clear.