Re: Ablative/-to

Dear Tadao,

>Hi, Jim:
>(i) Thank you for your clarification on /duura-to/.
>I am ashamed of asking you, but when you use the term
>'indeclinable', in what sense are you using the term?
>I know the general definition of 'indeclinable'. But when
>you say that /duurato/ is an indeclinable, are you saying that
>the word cannot be separted into two morephemes (i.e.,
>'duura' and 'to') or are you saying that the word functions
>as an adeverb, whose case specification is insignificant?

I've been using the term 'indeclinable' for one of the four main classes of
Pali words. It's stands for 'nipaata'. And 'indeclinable' is the translation
used by Warder and others for this term. 'Particle' is another one I've seen
for the same term. I'm not saying that the word cannot be separated into two
morphemes. I would say that the word is functioning as a clause adverbial
according to my study of English syntax in "A Comprehensive Grammar of the
English Language" by R. Quirk et al. but perhaps I shouldn't be applying
this notion from another system of linguistic description. It might be
better to say that the word is functioning as a noun even though it is
classed as a nipata. I wouldn't say that the case specification is
insignificant.

I have already given some reasons why I think these kinds of words ending in
/-to/ are placed in the nipata class. Aggava.msa has a section on this class
which he further divides into four subclasses.

>(ii) Thank you for your information on Saddaniti. How readable is it?

I think it's very readable and practical. This particular Roman edition is a
reprint of an earlier edition of 6 vols. with a total of 1795 pp. The first
three vols. contain the Saddaniti text itself, Vol. 4 contains indices of
roots, affixes, etc. and an overview of the grammatical system (in French),
and Vol. 5 & 6 is an index of Pali words. This is a scholarly work of
exceptional quality with many footnotes (some of it in Burmese). Most of the
quotes Aggava.ms cites are referenced to the standard PTS pagination.

>(iii) Can I ask another question? It's about the word "manasi-kaara".
>As you know that the word can be translated as "contemplation". And
>as you can see that it is a compound. Interestingly, in this compound
>the locative case is "trapped". Can you think of any other examples of
>Pali compounds, in which case is trapped. (In Sanskrit, this phenomenon
>seems to be not totally uncommon.)  tadao

I can think of 'Devaanampiyatisso' & 'ubhatovibhaagavimutta'. Besides the
noun 'manasikaara', there is also the verb 'manasikaroti'. Checking with the
Saddaniti I also find: urasi-lomo, gavampati, ka.n.thekaalo, kutojo, itojo,
itonidaano, vanejo. They're called aluttasamaasa-s or compounds without
elision (of the vibhatti affix of a prior member).

Jim


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