Dear Bhante Kumaara,
Thank you for your comments on the Pali Pimer
exercises. I find your insights to the Pali language
very helpful.
I agree with you that the PP Key has quite a few
errors. In fact at times it seems as if it was
written by somebody other than the author, and also
somebody to whom English was not their primary
language. That being said, despite its limitations,
the PP and key are an excellent introduction to the
language.
Again, thank you for all the help you provide this
list.
Metta,
John
--- Kumaara Bhikkhu <
venkumara@...> wrote:
> 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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