Within the Nyāya tradition, language (śabda) is regarded as a genuine means of valid knowledge (pramāṇa), standing alongside perception, inference, and comparison. It is not merely a vehicle for everyday communication, but a disciplined pathway through which truths about reality, dharma, and matters beyond direct perception can be known. Verbal testimony is especially valued when it concerns domains that are otherwise inaccessible, such as subtle metaphysical principles or events outside one’s experience. In this way, language becomes an indispensable bridge between limited individual cognition and a wider field of truth.

For such verbal knowledge to be valid, Nyāya insists on the reliability of both the source and the expression. Testimony must come from an authoritative, trustworthy person (āpta) who possesses direct knowledge and communicates it without deceit or error. This includes a distinction between scriptural testimony, such as that of the Veda, and ordinary human testimony, both of which are carefully evaluated. The sentence itself must be free from defects like contradiction or incoherence, and the intent of the speaker must be correctly grasped. Only when these conditions are met does linguistic cognition count as a pramāṇa.

Nyāya thinkers also probe deeply into the relation between words and their meanings, treating this as a central philosophical issue. Words and objects are linked by convention (saṅketa), and this conventional relation, once established, allows language to function as a stable instrument of knowledge. Meaning is not confined to isolated words; it arises from the way words combine into sentences (vākya), guided by grammar, syntax, and context. Through such combinations, language conveys propositions that can be assessed as true or false, and thus integrated into the broader logical enterprise of Nyāya.

Because Nyāya is profoundly concerned with logic and debate, language naturally becomes the medium through which reasoning is articulated and examined. The classical five-membered syllogism depends on precise linguistic formulation, and philosophical disputation requires clear definitions to avoid fallacies. At the same time, Nyāya recognizes both the power and the limits of language, subjecting verbal claims to rigorous scrutiny for consistency and coherence. When used with such care, language serves not only to transmit information but to refine understanding, supporting the gradual movement from confusion toward a more lucid apprehension of reality.