From: John Kelly
Message: 561
Date: 2001-11-07
> Thank you, Yong Peng, for your regular answer key._________________________________________________________
> Like to comment on a few things. Hope you won't
> mind.
>
>
> At 10:04 PM 30-10-01, you wrote:
> >20. Tva.m giita.m gaayanto rodanta.m daaraka.m
> rakkhasi.
> >Ans: You (sing.), singing a song, protect the
> crying child.
>
> Rakkhati is translated by Ven. Buddhadatta as:
> protects; guards; observes; preserves.
>
> But in the context of the above, I think a better
> English translation would be "look after".
>
>
> >22. So paaniiya.m pivitvaa patta.m bhinditvaa
> maatulamhaa bhaayati.
> >Ans: He, having drunk water and broken the bowl,
> fears the uncle.
>
> This translation is a bit strange. In fact, the Pali
> sentence itself is strange in the first place. (You
> have to tolerate quite a number of such strangeness
> in the book.) Nonetheless, I think it would sound a
> bit better to translate it as:
> After drinking the water, he breaks the bowl and is
> afraid of his uncle. (Yes, that it still sounds
> strange. Perhaps it needs a "therefore".)
>
> Again, I'd like to say that the "tvaa" simply gives
> the idea of something happening before the next
> (most of the time, at least). So don't feel tied
> down by the "having (perfect tense)" model. You're
> free translate it in a way that sounds right.
>
> As many Pali teachers would say:
> Translate sentences, not words.
>
>
> >25. Khetta.m rakkhanto so aavaa.te kha.nante
> varaahe disvaa
> >paasaa.nehi paharati.
> >Ans: Protecting the field, he, having seen pigs
> digging pits, hits
> >them with stones.
>
> It would sound better this way:
> While looking after (or taking care of) the field,
> he sees pigs digging pits and hits them with stones.
> [This was my teacher's answer.]
>
>
> >3. Sitting in the park you (plur.) eat fruits with
> friends.
> >Ans: Uyyaanasmi.m nisiidantaa tumhe mittehi saha
> phalaani bhu~njatha.
>
> Tumhe na "phalaani bhu~njatha".
> Tumhe "phalaani khaadatha".
>
> "Khaadati" is for hard (perhaps on the crunchy side)
> food stuff, such as fruits, nuts, root-food,
> stem-food, vegetables, flowers, and pastry.
> (Traditional Indian pastry are usually on the hard
> side.)
>
> "Bhu~njati" is for solid by not crunchy stuff. In
> the Vinaya Pitaka, the "bhojana"s are classed the as
> rice (odana), parched flour (sattu), junket
> (kummaasa), fish (maccha), meat (ma.msa). These are
> some of the things that we "bhu~njaama".
>
>
> >5. Maya.m vane gantvaa carante mige passitu.m
> gehasmaa nikkhamaama.
>
> From how I see it, this answer is a bit
> problematic. "Vane gantvaa" is "having gone to the
> forest", but no where in the English sentence is
> this idea found. (We set out from home to go and see
> the deer roaming in the forest.)
>
> Perhaps it's a typo error, and the two words are
> meant be inverted:
> Maya.m gantvaa vane carante mige passitu.m
> gehasmaa nikkhamaama.
>
> Still it poses an ambiguity. It may be taken as:
> We set out from home to see the deer which,
> having gone, and roam in the forest.
>
> A safer Pali equivalent of the English sentence may
> be:
> Maya.m vane carante mige passitu.m gehasmaa
> nikkhamitvaa gacchaama.
> though they may not be technically parallel.
>
>
> >6. Aha.m dhamma.m adhigantu.m icchaami.
> >7. Pabbatasmi.m .thatvaa maya.m samuddamhi
> patanta.m candassa
> >aaloka.m passaama.
>
> New learners would most probably put the answer as
> "Pabbatasmi.m ti.t.thantaa..." (English: "Standing
> on the mountain..."), which is fine.
>
> Based on how the absolutive is used in the Pali
> scriptures, "Pabbatasmi.m .thatvaa" is also
> possible. In such a case, it carries the meaning of
> "while" or "as". (I know; it's not fair. The book
> doesn't teach that. Wait till you go to the next
> lesson.)
>
>
> >16. Sappurisaa paapakammaani bhaayantaa sagge
> uppajjanti.
>
> The answer given in the key is:
> Paaapakammaani (paapaani kaatu.m) bhaayantaa
> sappurisaa sagge uppajjanti.
>
> Using "paaapakammaani" here is incorrect. It should
> be "paaapakammehi" as the verb "bhaayantaa" (from
> "bhaayati") takes the absolutive. "Paapaani kaatu.m"
> however fits in fine, though is not technically the
> same.
>
>
> It's unfortunate that "Key to Paali Primer" contains
> quite a few mistakes. Perhaps the author should do
> something about it. This should nonetheless not
> deter anyone from using the book. To my knowledge,
> it's the best "first book" available.
>
> That's all for now, everybody. Appamaadena
> sampaadetha!
>
>
>
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