At 21:10 16.03.2006 +0100, Stefan wrote:

>Hoi Gerard,
>
>you might want to begin with Warder's Introduction to Pali (PTS). Your
>knowledge of Greek and Latin will serve as a good basis for you learning the
>various cases and verbs in all their forms. Rune Johansson's Pali Buddhist
>Texts (Curzon) can be used too as an introduction. You can pose question on
>this forum.
>Coulson's Teach yourself Sanskrit does Buddhist Sanskrit, but can do a job
>as a more general background (or sideground) of Sanskrit and its relation to
>Pali.
>A good grammar is Charles Durouselle's A Practical Grammar of the Pali
>Language, which can be found in PDF at www.buddhanet.net.

These are good suggestions. Warder is excellent.

One who knows some Greek and Latin (and of course German), will also find
this one very interesting: Manfred Mayrhofer, "Handbuch des Pali. Eine
Einfuehrung in das sprachwissenschaftliche Studium des Mittelindischen".
Heidelberg 1951. The grammar gives very interesting comparisons with
Sanskrit, Greek and Latin, and sometimes also Gothic and other indoeuropean
languages. I think you still may be able to get it used throug Amazon.de.

Mayrhofer alone would not be the best choice for learning Pali as a
beginner. But as a supplement to Warder, Johansson and others, it is
interesting reading.

Best regards,

Kåre A. Lie
http://www.lienet.no


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