ABSTRACT
In the context of engaging with the many names for Indian languages and dialects, Grierson also reflects on the different names for India. This raises the question of how Grierson defines India itself. This chapter shows how debates about grammar played a role in Grierson’s identification with India, as indicated by his assertion of Indian traditions of knowledge in the field of grammatical analysis against European categories of thought. It focuses on his interventions from 1918 to 1921 on the Oriental Advisory Committee to the Standing Committee of Grammatical Reform, convened by Professor E.A. Sonnenschein (1851-1929). Grierson constructs and defends an Indian ‘native point of view’ against attempts to marginalise it on this Committee. He acts as ‘knowledge broker’ in highlighting India’s contributions to linguistics and argues these should be properly recognised within the frame of global knowledge. His interventions and the Committee’s responses point to how the lineaments of a world philology emerge from the debates amongst the Committee members.
