Indexicality in Thai and in Tibetan: Implications for a Buddhism grounded approach

Abstract

In Tibetan and Thai linguistics, indexicals, such as evidentials and personal pronouns have been largely studied in the domain of grammar, despite that they are closely tied with contexts. The social life of evidentials is not, in all cases, about marking the information source. They can be manipulated to win arguments, or simply to be polite. Personal pronouns do not always correlate with social categories. Speakers choose one form over another according to their interests and needs in situations at hand. Hence, an analysis to reveal the true nature of indexicals needs to account for “counter-examples to normative usage,” and incorporate native speakers’ judgments. It must be grounded in a theory that allows dynamic synchrony and indeterminacy of meaning. This paper contributes to an understanding of these two indexicality systems that constitute the essence of these Asian languages. It argues that the Buddhist principle of contingency, namely Nagarjuna’s theory of change can explain the actual usage of these indexicals. According to Nagarjuna, the true condition of things is change, which occurs at every moment in time. The theory paves the way for a more complete understanding of Thai and Tibetan and sheds light on how linguists should analyze indexicals.