Gornall's article: How Many Sounds are in Pāli?

Dear Members,

I have attached Alastair Gornall's recent article entitled _How Many Sounds
are in Pāli? Schism, Identity, and Ritual in the Theravāda saṅgha._ 2014

This article was sent to me this morning by Aleix Ruiz Falqués and is free
to share.

Abstract:

This article highlights the central importance of Pāli phonetics in
Theravāda Buddhism. In doing so, I focus on a single yet fundamental point
of contention regarding the number of sounds in the Pāli language from the
twelfth to fifteenth century. I argue that this debate on the number of
sounds was of central concern due to the importance of Pāli pronunciation in
the ritual sphere, the development of new regional monastic identities, and
the introduction of regional scripts. In tracing this debate between two
competing systems of Pāli grammar I show that these developments in the
phonetic description of the Pāli language reveal the use and adaptation of
Sanskritic phonetics in order to differentiate Pāli from Sanskrit, the
Prakrits, and its surrounding vernaculars.

Best wishes.

Jim Anderson