Dear List Members;

Thank you for the information about Buddhadhatta's conversation book.

They probably have that book at Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist University
in Bangkok, but their catalog is not online so I'll have to check online.

How far back communication in Pali between monks in different
countries goes back raises an interesting question.

There was a lot of communication between Sri Lanka and the Mon coastal
region and central Burma and whole libraries transported from Sri
Lanka to Burma. The Mahavihara lineage made its way to Toungoo around
1500. The Siam Nikaya was founded in Sri Lanka in the 18th century. I
wonder whether they spoke Pali and how the early Pali education was done?

Thanks Again.

Jon

--- 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]
> >
>