Having the the Pali along side the English with Pali word lookup has been very helpful when reading the suttas, but I realize I need to understand Pali grammar and parts of speech better.
I am looking for recommendations for books to teach me these things as well as useful reference books for translating Pali.
I want to hear from people who have actually used the books the recommend.
Does anyone have any thoughts on Warder? I have it in physical form which is how I like to study- does it have any serious drawbacks or weakness compared to the other books mentioned?
I think Warder on its own might be a bit difficult. He includes a lot of background info. But luckily Ajahn Brahmali did a wonderful set of talks to accompany the chapters and work through the exercises. And Ajahn Brahmali separates out with his key to reading Pali from what is extraneous. Lectures available here: https://wiswo.org/itp/
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. @Raftafarian
A number of us on this board used daSilva’s Pali Primer with Stephen Sas’s excellent class. Book and class lectures available here available here:
The course then moves into using the Gair and Karunatillake book.
For those who could endure such a thing, on the BAUS youtube channel there are 38 1.5 hour classes beginning with a bit of Pali Primer and then covering the entirety of Gair and Karunatillake.
However, I do think learning a language in a group setting together with fellow eager classmates often yields better results than a solitary pursuit. The trick is, of course, to find those enthusiastic Pali friends.
Just be aware, this isn’t a lesson book. It’s a reference book.
When I spoke to Bhikkhu Bodhi, he didn’t recommend it. I believe his reason was that it would be good if you were already a philologist. He prefers the Gair/Karunatilaka book instead. But of course many people have learned using Warder.