How do you say “How are you?” “I’m fine. Thanks. And you?” and “you’re welcome” in Pāḷi?
Thanks in advance.
May you live healthy and happy always.
_/_
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This is a fascinating question. I was traveling in several Eastern European countries recently. Each has its own language. It was fun to learn a few common phrases in the local language.
NY Times just published an op-ed by Emily Hanford, “Why Are We Still Teaching Reading the Wrong Way? Teacher preparation programs continue to ignore the sound science behind how people become readers.” (Oct-26-2018)
She wrote: “…What have scientists figured out? First of all, while learning to talk is a natural process that occurs when children are surrounded by spoken language, learning to read is not. To become readers, kids need to learn how the words they know how to say connect to print on the page. They need explicit, systematic phonics instruction. There are hundreds of studies that back this up…”
- How many translators of Pali texts can actually carry a conversation in Pali with another translator?
- If Pali students do not learn to speak Pali, does it make it harder for them to learn reading Pali and understand Pali intricacies, without the help of systematic phonics instruction?
- Can Pali become a living language again?
May be the Pali experts here can share their experience.
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There is a paragraph in tepitaka on askig how are you etc. There was a habit in Buddha to ask how monks are when they arrive.
Kacci, bhikkhu, khamanīyaṃ, kacci yāpanīyaṃ, kaccisi appakilamathena addhānaṃ āgato, na ca piṇḍakena kilantosī?
Answer,
Khamanīyaṃ bhagavā, yāpanīyaṃ bhagavā, appakilamathena cāhaṃ, bhante, addhānaṃ āgato, na piṇḍakena kilantomhī.
(Soṇasuttaṃ)
(Udāna 5.6)
Translation of the paragraph;
Can you bear up, monk? Can you carry on? Did you come along the road without fatigue, and without going short of alms?”
Answer,
“I can bear up, Gracious One, I can carry on, Gracious One, and I did come along the road without fatigue, and without going short of alms.”
This phrase addresses above question, how to ask, how are you?
Q: Kacci, bhikkhave, khamanīyaṃ kacci yāpanīyaṃ?
A: Khamanīyaṃ, bhagavā, yāpanīyaṃ, bhagavā.
When the 6th Buddhist council was held in Rangoon, Burma, from May 1954 to May 1956, Sri Lankan monks used Pali to communicate with other monks from Burma, and Thailand.
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That is so cool!
Do you know of any recordings of this, by any chance?
To my knowledge, there are no recordings on those conversations, but I saw a recent lecture delivered in pali on bojjangas.
Edited:
@scatterbrain
Hasanha Samarasinge Pali speech
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That is so cool, thank you! It will be very useful, if I dive into Pali more.
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World’s first pali song…
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