Dear Peter,
I agree that, all things being equal, languages need to strike a
balance between grammar and practicality. Pali, with the use of
various declensions, appears less strict in syntax. Whereas, syntax is
more stringent in English, which almost has no declension.
So, my answer to your question is it will depend on the passage and
the sentence. The passage will usually determine the context. In a
case like this, having only an isolated sentence, I would usually
allow the subject (kumaaraa) to form the relation with the
instrumental (mittehi saha).
Perhaps other members can shed more light into this issue.
metta,
Yong Peng.
--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Peter Bowen wrote:
"Kumaaraa mittehi saha bhuupaala.m passanti."
In the Pali Day-by-Day answers, on tipitaka.net, the answer is given
as: "Boys, [together] with friends, see the king."
But I had translated it as: "Boys see the king with [his] friends."
Why is my answer not correct? How does one know that the word
"mittehi" goes with "kumaaraa" and not with "bhuupaala.m"?