INTRODUCTORY PALI

The knowledge of the Pali language, the language of the Buddhist Canon of the Theravada school, is of primary importance in the context of South-East Asia. The course aims to offer an introduction to the basic grammar of Pali, so as to allow students to have access to the Buddhist texts of the Canon.

Knowledge of the basic grammar of Pali (through the translation of sentences from Pali into Italian)
1. Knowledge and Comprehension
To complete the knowledge of the basic grammatical structures of the Pali language.
To know and comprehend the functioning of the grammatical structures of the Pali language (basic level).
2. Ability to apply the acquired knowledge and comprehension
To be able to identify the different grammatical categories and their properties.
To demonstrate a general understanding of the basic grammatical structures of the Pali language.
To be able to describe the constructions and the grammatical phenomena studied in class by using the appropriate terminology and the instruments of syntactic analysis.

No prerequisites are necessary.

We will follow step by step the Pali grammar of A. K. Warder and the text of R. E. A. Johansson, Pali Buddhist Texts Explained to the Beginner.
We will especially focus attention on the following subjects:
1. Declensions and cases
2. Pronouns
3. Tenses and verbal conjugations.

A. K. Warder, Introduction to Pali. Second Edition (With corrections and additions). London: The Pali Text Society, 1984.
R. E. A. Johansson, Pali Buddhist Texts Explained to the Beginner. London and Dublin: Curzon Press, 1977.
More texts will be handed out in class.

All the exercises and translations from Warder's grammar will be done together in class.
The final exam wil be oral.

Lessons in class, during which we shall read and translate the exercises taken from the texts (from Pali into Italian).

Italian

oral