Dear Nina,

thanks for the reference to your 1956 edition. It must be a "standard size" edition. I do have standard size dictionary and thesaurus, but they are not Oxford but Longman ;-), and I hardly use them after my 'O' Level exams in 1990, and of course they are on my bookshelf back in Singapore. :-)

I am glad you agree that language evolves, especially from a non-English European viewpoint. I will be blogging about my own views about learning the Chinese language, and the challenges I have faced in Singapore. It will be in Chinese though.

Thanks for the reference from Oxford 1956. It is very useful to look at previous materials and references.

metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Nina van Gorkom wrote:

My edition is 1956, it is antique. I learnt English about seventy years ago, time flies.

> Under the entry 'per', I reproduce as follows:
> per [prep.] 1. for each. 2. in accordance with. 3. by means of.

My old edition: per:
1. (in Latin phrases) by, through as per annum (=yearly, by the year).
2. (in English) by means of; through; by the action of; for each, as per post; per Mr. Smith (=sent by); 15 rounds of ammunition per man (=for each); 6 per cent (=for each hundred).

It is true, language evolves. I would like to encourage the younger generation here to come in to help with the translations of the suttas and the Pali Exercises.