addresses, email and fax

[Jon Skarpeid]

Does anybody knows the address, e-mail and fax to the following institution:
   Madras University

I would also like to know the fax and e-mail to the following intstitutions:
   Sangit Natak Academy, New Delhi
   Vishwa Bharti University, Shanti Nikeketan


Thank You
Jon Skarpeid



> From 71203.2563 at CompuServe.COM 19 96 May EDT 23:00:35
Date: 19 May 96 23:00:35 EDT
From: Swami Gitananda <71203.2563 at CompuServe.COM>
Subject: 'Fanciful' etymologies (was re. dating)

On May 19, 1996, Dominik Wujastyk wrote:

>The kind of etymologizing above that Girish suggests is fanciful is
>characteristic of pre-Paninian thinking, especially in Yaska's Nirukta.

I would like to raise the question of how appropriate it is to call these verbal
derivations "etymologies,"in our sense of the word.  According to Webster's,
etymon is the "literal meaning of a word according to its origins." To my
knowledge, there's no claim to historical authenticity in these word
derivations. Luis Gonzalez-Reimann wrote that << these etymological exercises
very often pretend to be given as  historical explanation, one that is linked to
the origins of a tradition.>> This is not doubt true, but there's no claim to
historical derivation in the philological sense, as far as I can tell. Or am I
missing something?

It seems to me they are rather creative ways of unfolding meanings inherent in a
term. I fully agree with Madhav Deshpande when he writes that << Such
linguistically fanciful etymologies are critical for our understanding of the
synchronic comprehension of those terms and concepts by the respective
communities>>

By calling them "etymologies" we are ensuring that they will be inadequate, and
therefore can qualify them as "fanciful." It would be perhaps more accurate to
find a better term for them. The best I can think of now is something along the
lines of "cultural word derivations." I would be very interested in hearing more
learned opinions than my own on this.

Swami Gitananda
71203.2563 at compuserve.com