From: Jon Fernquest
Message: 12016
Date: 2008-01-25
--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "gdbedell" <gdbedell@...> wrote:
>
> Piya,
>
> My name is George (Bedell); please call me that.
>
> I refer you to the Wikipedia entry on 'Extinct Languages'. Actually
that entry distinguishes
> between 'extinct' languages and 'dead' languages, which is a little
new to me. I doubt
> there are any 'dead' but not 'extinct' languages in their sense. In
my usage and that of
> most linguists, the two are the same and correspond to what the
entry calls 'extinct'.
> Either way, Pali (like Latin, Sanskrit or Classical Chinese) is both
dead and extinct.
>
> with metta,
>
> George B
>
> --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "Piya Tan" <dharmafarer@> wrote:
> >
> > Shall I call you DB or Bedell?
> >
> > Thanks for the interesting feedback, and I would like to know
more. Any
> > citations?
> >
> > I can see phantom question marks over some of my more intelligent
pupils
> > looking
> > at me with suspicion if I said that a certain gdbedell on Pali
Yahoo said
> > such and
> > such. Not that I don't value what you have said; indeed, for the very
> > contrary.
> >
> > Citations please.
> >
> > Agape,
> >
> > Piya
> >
> >
> > On Jan 25, 2008 10:26 PM, gdbedell <gdbedell@> wrote:
> >
> > > With all due respect to Piya Tan and others of like mind, a 'dead'
> > > language is usually
> > > defined as one with no native speakers. These are people who
learn it as
> > > their first
> > > language and for whom it remains the primary mode of
communication. By
> > > this definition,
> > > Pali is a dead language in spite of the many Buddhists who read
and chant
> > > it regularly, and
> > > situations like that described by Piya for the Thai abbot in Sri
Lanka.
> > > Being dead does not
> > > prevent it from preserving the Buddha's teachings.
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com <Pali%40yahoogroups.com>, "Piya Tan"
> > > <dharmafarer@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > When I was a monk in Thailand some 40 years back, I remember
my abbot
> > > (the
> > > > current Somdet Phutthacharn of Wat Srakes) saying when he went
to Sri
> > > Lanka,
> > > > he knew no Sinhala, and the Sinhalese knew no Thai. So they
communicated
> > > in
> > > > Pali.
> > > >
> > > > Furthermore, Pali is not a "dead" language (like
hieroglyphics, which
> > > nobody
> > > > uses).
> > > > Pali is commonly use by living cultures. Sometimes it is called a
> > > > Kunstsprache,
> > > > which I think literally translates as "speech for art" a sort of
> > > artificial
> > > > language
> > > > specially devised to preserve the Buddha's Teachings.
> > > >
> > > > Metta,
> > > >
> > > > Piya
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Jan 25, 2008 2:59 PM, Jon Fernquest <bayinnaung@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > In a previous thread (History of the word "Aryan") Piya Tan
suggests:
> > > > >
> > > > > "I think we should stop speaking English here, and start
using Pali.
> > > After
> > > > >
> > > > > all this is a Pali website."
> > > > >
> > > > > I would like to do this, but has a spoken Pali primer ever been
> > > written?
> > > > >
> > > > > I once asked a former monk friend of mine how to say some simple
> > > > > phrases and even though he can read Pali very well, he
wasn't able to
> > > > > produce spoken Pali. Does anyone speak Pali anymore? When
did they in
> > > > > the past?
> > > > >
> > > > > This reminds me of a **Pali phrase book** used to help beginners
> > > > > communicate in Pali, that I found at a bookseller in Yangon,
Burma
> > > > > several years ago, that was published in Sri Lanka.
> > > > >
> > > > > Has anyone ever seen such a thing or know where it can be
obtained?
> > > > >
> > > > > Sincerely,
> > > > > Jon
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > The Minding Centre
> > > > Blk 644 Bukit Batok Central #01-68 (2nd flr)
> > > > Singapore 650644
> > > > Website: dharmafarer.googlepages.com
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > The Minding Centre
> > Blk 644 Bukit Batok Central #01-68 (2nd flr)
> > Singapore 650644
> > Website: dharmafarer.googlepages.com
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>