Une Philosophie de la Parole

English summary: This book investigates the beginnings, in the 10th century CE, of an autonomous reflection on language in the "non-dualist" trend of Brahmanical exegesis (Advaita-Vedanta), inaugurated in the 8th century by Sankara. Its starting point is the detailed study of the most ancient text of that tradition exclusively devoted to linguistic philosophy: Prakasatman's Inquiry into Verbal Knowledge (Sabdanirnaya), critically edited and translated here for the first time. The text...
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English summary: This book investigates the beginnings, in the 10th century CE, of an autonomous reflection on language in the "non-dualist" trend of Brahmanical exegesis (Advaita-Vedanta), inaugurated in the 8th century by Sankara. Its starting point is the detailed study of the most ancient text of that tradition exclusively devoted to linguistic philosophy: Prakasatman's Inquiry into Verbal Knowledge (Sabdanirnaya), critically edited and translated here for the first time. The text and its translation are followed by a new edition of its only known Sanskrit commentary by another famous Advaitin, Anandabodha (11th century). A preliminary study, historical as well as philosophical, introduces some key concepts, and situates this seminal work at the crossroads between two lines of history: that of the non-dualist movement after Sa?kara ("classical" or "late" Advaita) and that of linguistic traditions in medieval India. On this basis, an attempt is made to understand why one of the most illustrious non-dualist thinkers chose to engage in an entirely new reflection on language, virtually unknown to his predecessors, thereby breaking new ground for what would become the typical Vedantic reflexion on meaning and interpretation. This approach, centred on hermeneutics rather than doctrine, allows one to understand how philosophy of language came to occupy a prominent position in later Advaita, as the cornerstone of a "system" where Being, however immediate, presents itself through the medium of Sacred Speech. French description: Ce livre cherche a circonscrire l'apparition, au xe siecle de notre ere, d'une reflexion autonome sur le langage au sein du courant de pensee exegetique non dualiste (Advaita Vedanta) inaugure au viiie siecle par Sa?kara. Son point de depart est l'etude approfondie du plus ancien texte de cette tradition consacre exclusivement a des questions linguistiques, l'Enquete sur la connaissance verbale (Sabdanir?aya) de Prakasatman, qui fait ici l'objet d'une nouvelle edition critique et d'une premiere traduction integrale. Le texte et sa traduction sont suivis d'une nouvelle edition de son unique commentaire sanskrit connu, par Anandabodha (xie siecle). Une etude preliminaire, historique et philosophique, introduit le lecteur a certains concepts-cles et situe ce texte fondateur au croisement de deux histoires : celle du mouvement non dualiste apres Sa?kara (l'Advaita dit classique ou tardif ), et celle des theories linguistiques dans l'Inde medievale. On s'efforce ainsi de comprendre les raisons qui pousserent l'un des plus illustres representants de la tradition sa?karienne a l'aube du second millenaire a s'engager dans une reflexion sur le langage encore largement etrangere a ses predecesseurs, quand bien meme elle plonge ses racines dans des problemes exegetiques plus anciens. Cette approche - hermeneutique plus que doctrinale - permet de redonner a la parole toute sa place dans l'edifice du Vedanta, systeme dont le fondement se donne dans une exteriorite radicale, et dont la reflexion linguistique constitue a bien des egards la philosophie premiere.