An Elementary Pali Course
by Ven. Narada Thera
Pāḷi means "the Text", though it has now come to be the name of a language.
Māgadhi was the original name for Pāḷi. It was the language current in the land of Magadha during the time of the Buddha (6th century B.C.).
Suddha Māgadhī, the pure form of the provincial dialect, was what the Buddha used as His medium of insruction.
The elements of Pāḷi can be mastered in a few months, Pāḷi opens one's ears to the Dhamma and the music of the Buddha's speech. It is also a lingua franca in Buddhist countries, and therefore worth acquiring.
This slender volume is intended to serve as an elementary guide for beginners. With its aid one may be able to get an intoduction to the Pāḷi language within a short period.
I have to express my deep indebtedness to my Venerable Teacher, Pelene Siri Vajirañāna Mahā Nāyaka Therapāda, who introduced me to this sacred language. Words cannot indicate how much I owe to his unfailing care and sympathy.
My thanks are due to the Venerable Nyānatiloka Thera, for his valued assistance.
Nārada
October, 1952.
| Adj. | - | Adjective |
| Ind., Indec. | - | Indeclinables |
| Ind. p.p. | - | Indeclinable Past Participles |
| f. | - | Feminine |
| m. | - | Masculine |
| n. | - | Neuter |
| p.p. | - | Past Participles |
| Pre. | - | Prefix |
| Pres. p. | - | Present Participles |
| Pres. | - | Present |
| Pro. | - | Pronoun |
Contents
| Preface Abbreviations Introduction Alphabet Pronunciation of Letters |
||
| Lesson I | A. | Declension of Nouns ending in "a" - Nominative & Accusative Cases |
| B. | Conjugation of Verbs - Present Tense, Active Voice, 3rd Person | |
| Lesson II | A. | Declension of Nouns ending in "a" - Instrumental & Dative Cases |
| B. | Conjugation of Verbs - Present Tense, Active Voice, 2nd person | |
| Lesson III | A. | Declension of Nouns ending in "a" - Ablative & Genitive Cases |
| B. | Conjugation of Verbs - Present Tense, Active Voice, 1st person | |
| Lesson IV | A. | Declension of Nouns ending in "a" - Locative & Vocative Cases |
| B. | Conjugation of Verbs - Present Tense, Active Voice | |
| Lesson V | A. | Full Declension of Nouns ending in "a" |
| Lesson VI | A. | Nouns ending in "ā" |
| B. | Infinitive | |
| Lesson VII | A. | Aorist (Ajjatanī) Active Voice |
| B. | Possessive Pronouns | |
| Lesson VIII | A. | Nouns ending in "i" |
| B. | Indeclinable Past Participles | |
| Lesson IX | A. | Feminine Nouns ending in "i" |
| B. | Future Tense (Bhavissanti) - Active Voice | |
| Lesson X | A. | Declension of Nouns ending in "ī" |
| B. | The Formation of Feminines | |
| Lesson XI | A. | Declension of Nouns ending in "u" and "ū" |
| B. | Verbs: Imperative and Benedictive Mood (Pañcamī) | |
| Lesson XII | A. | Personal Pronouns |
| B. | Conditional Mood (Sattamī) | |
| Lesson XIII | A. | Relative Pronouns |
| B. | The Interrogative Pronoun | |
| Lesson XIV | A. | Participles |
| Lesson XV | A. | Demonstrative Pronouns |
| B. | Adjectives | |
| Lesson XVI | A. | Numerals |
| B. | Ordinals | |
| Lesson XVII | A. | Some Irregular Nouns ending in "a" |
| B. | Conjugations | |
| Lesson XVIII | A. | Declension of Satthu |
| B. | Causal Forms (Kārita) | |
| Lesson XIX | A. | Declension of Go |
| B. | Perfect Tense (Hīyattanī) | |
| Lesson XX | A. | Compounds (Samāsa) |
| Lesson XXI | A. | Indeclinables (Avyaya) |
| Lesson XXII | A. | Taddhita - Nominal Derivatives |
| Lesson XXIII | A. | Kitaka - Verbal Derivatives |
| Lesson XXIV | A. | Rules of Sandhi (Combinations) |
| Lesson XXV | A. | Uses of the Cases |
| Lesson XXVI | A. | Passive Voice |
| Selections for Translation Notes on Selections for Translation Vocabulary Pali-English Vocabulary English-Pali Guide to Excercises |
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Pāḷi was the language spoken by the Buddha and employed by Him to expound His Doctrine of Deliverance.
Māgadhī is its real name, it being the dialect of the people of Magadha - a district in Central India.
Pāḷi, lit. "line" or "text", is, strictly speaking, the name for the Buddhist Canon. Nowadays the term Pāḷi is often applied to the language in which the Buddhist texts or scriptures were written.
The Pāḷi language must have had characters of its own, but at present they are extinct.
The Pāḷi Alphabet consists of forty-one letters, - eight vowels and thirty-three consonants.
| 8 vowels (Sara) |
| a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, e, o. |
| 33 Consonants (Vyañjana) | ||
| Gutturals Palatals Cerebrals Dentals Labials *Palatal *Cerebral *Dental *Dental and Labrial Dental (sibilant) Aspirate Cerebral Niggahita |
k, kh, g,
gh, ṅ. c, ch, j, jh, ñ. ṭ, ṭh, ḍ, ḍh, ṇ. t, th, d, dh, n. p, ph, b, bh, m. y. r. l. v. s. h. ḷ. ṃ. |
ka group ca group ṭa group ta group pa group |
| *Semi-vowels | ||
Pāḷi is a phonetic language. As such each letter has its own characteristic sound.
a is pronounced like u in but
ā is pronounced like a in art
i is pronounced like i in pin
ī is pronounced like i in machine
u is pronounced like u in put
ū is pronounced like u in rule
e is pronounced like e in ten
e (ee) is pronounced like a in fate
o is pronounced like o in hot
o (oo) is pronounced like o in note
k is pronounced like k in key
g is pronounced like g in get
ṅ is pronounced like ng in ring
c is pronounced like ch in rich
j is pronounced like j in jug
ñ is pronounced like gn in signor
ṭ is pronounced like t in not
ḍ is pronounced like d in hid
ṇ is pronounced like n in hint
p is pronounced like p in lip
b is pronounced like b in rib
m is pronounced like m in him
y is pronounced like y in yard
r is pronounced like r in rat
l is pronounced like l in sell
v is pronounced like v in vile
s is pronounced like s in sit
h is pronounced like h in hut
ḷ is pronounced like l in felt
ṃ is pronounced like ng in sing
The vowels "e" and "o" are always long, except when followed by a double consonant; e.g. ettha, oṭṭha.
The fifth consonant of each group is called a "nasal".
There is no difference between the pronunciation of "ṅ" and "ṃ". The former never stands at the end, but is always followed by a consonant of its group.
The dentals "t" and "d" are pronounced with the tip of the tongue placed against the front upper teeth.
The aspirates "kh", "gh", "ṭh", "ḍh", "th", "dh", "ph", "bh", are pronounced with "h" sound immediately following; e.g., in blockhead, pighead, cat-head, log-head, etc., where the "h" in each is combined with the preceding consonant in pronunciation.