History of the Pali Language
by Roger Smith
It is thought that when the Aryan-speaking peoples moves
into North India, about 2000 years BCE., they brought
with them many variations of the Aryan language. Some of
these dialects developed literary forms (i.e., with
grammar) later. The most important dialect of these was
Sanskrit.
The word “Sanskrit” means “the refined language” and its
formalisation as a written language arose, it is
thought, due to people revering it as the language of
educated people and religion. As a result, they used it,
but kept it separate from their daily, colloquial
language.
This normalisation process was strengthened further by
Panini, who lived about 500 years BCE. and subsequently
the language became very influential.
Magadhi was a dialect spoken in the Maghadan area in the
eastern part of North India and was thought likely to be
a composite with features assembled from different
geographical areas.
Researchers cannot be certain of Maghadi/Pali’s root
origins, but it is more similar to Vedic than to
classical Sanskrit. There are other, parallel dialects,
such as Prakrit, arising from local use, which have some
basis in Sanskrit. But evidence has shown that it is
Sanskrit that is the earliest and therefore the closest
to some likely Indo-European origins.
Buddhism uses Pali
Theravada Buddhist consider that Magadhi was probably
the language preferred and used by the Buddha. It was
this language that came to be developed and formalised
as a written language, which we now call “Pali”.
Pali is a written language, but it has no special
script. It should be noted that the Magadhi/Pali we have
now may not be the full and accurate spoken language of
those days and in fact, may not have been actually used
in this present form.
Pali, (“Pali” means “text”), has a vocabulary that has
special significance for the study of Buddhism, because
its words have been well defined for the needs of the
Buddha’s teachings, which no other language could
successfully define.
For example, in Sanskrit, the word “Dharma” has a very
wide application - it applies to physical and moral
teachings, teachings generally and even to the laws of
nature. But in Pali the word “Dhamma”, is reserved
exclusively for the Buddha’s ideas. And also, in
Sanskrit, “Karma” contains Hindu theistic ideas in a
Hindu theistic context. But in Pali the word “Kamma”,
signifies the moral law as defined by the Buddha.
It is sonorous, rhythmic, mellifluous and pleasing to
hear, especially when chanted properly by monks and is
kept alive by Buddhist scholars, monks and devotees of
Buddhism in the few remaining Theravada countries. Thus,
it can be seen that Pali is the language of Theravada
Budhism.
Other schools of Buddhism, both Theravada and Mahayana
which emerged soon after the Buddha’s Parinibbana, used
the classical language of India for the propagation of
the Buddha’s teachings - Sanskrit. There is even a
variety of Sanskrit called “Buddhist Sanskrit.”
Pali language used to be called “the language of
mankind’s philosophy”. This is because it had the most
voluminous literature on religion and philosophy in the
entire world before the rise of Western Scholarship.
Buddhist philosophy written and preserved
Pali is the language of the Theravada Buddhist
religion’s record of teachings, the “The Tripitaka” the
Vinaya Pitaka (the collection of rules for Monks), the
Sutta Pitaka (main body of collected teachings), the
Abidhamma Pitaka (the more advanced teachings).
The spread of Pali
As trade-links and communications were developed,
Buddhist monks and King’s emissaries throughout the
region developed and spread its use. It was the “Lingua
Franca” of the Buddhist countries of south and
south-east Asia for well over a thousand years.
Each country subsequently developed its own Pali
literature and chronicles.
Courtesy ‘Ehipassiko’
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