Grinding Out The Pali
By thomas on Oct 30, 2007 in Pali
It’s been a while since I wrote about my Pali study, but that doesn’t mean I’ve slowed down any. I’ve been pushing through the A.K. Warder book, entering all exercises into Mnemosyne and drilling them almost daily (I tend to miss a day on the weekend). I’ve just finished Lesson 7. Twenty-three more lessons to go, and they get exponentially longer.
All of the exercises in Warder are pulled straight from the Pali Canon (Tipitaka in Pali). Since reading the Tipitaka is the end goal of studying Pali, it’s a great feeling to already be breaking some ground there. I’ve already read a short passage about a King named Disampati (from the Mahagovinda Sutta). His friend (and prime minister) Govinda dies. The king is very sad. Disampati’s son, Renu, tells his father not to grieve because Govinda left behind a son, the young priest Jotipala. The king then sends a messenger to fetch Jotipala. It’s not the full story, and not the most exciting story either, but I’m reading it in the original Pali!
Studying Pali reminds me a little bit of studying Latin when I was in High School: lots of conjugations and declensions. I don’t like studying charts and tables very much, so as an experiment I’m just skipping them. My idea is that if I have enough example sentences in Mnemosyne, I will eventually pick up all the different endings through osmosis. By seeing all of the endings in context, my brain should be able to see the patterns and internalize them. So far it’s been working according to plan! Irregular verbs like “to be” and “to say” still trip me up a bit. But these words are so common that I’m not too worried about it. As my Pali study continues I’m sure I’ll see these words many times and they’ll stick eventually.
Every now and then I run into a word that makes me laugh. So far this is my favorite:
- pabbajati – he goes forth, giving up the ordinary life to become a wandering ascetic or philosopher.
Yes, Pali has its own word for that! It makes perfect sense if you consider the religious climate of ancient India, but it still makes me giggle.
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Really great to see your progress, and especially you’re studying in a very effective way.
I know you study this because of what you believe, but I think the extra gift you get with studying Pali is that it’ll be easier for you to tackle other Asian languages like Thai.
Rmss | Oct 30, 2007 | Reply
I’ve really got to try Mnemosyne one of these days..
rikker | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Rmss: I’ve been very pleased with the Pali progress too. I have made attempts at Pali in the past and never really stuck with it. With Mnemosyne it really makes it easy to study and keep with it. I’ve come the farthest I ever have with Pali. You’re right, it will help with Thai, if I ever get there. I’m not even going to attempt another language until I completely master at least one of the two I’m studying now. Maybe 10 years from now :)
rikker: I recommend Mnemosyne (or any SRS) highly for vocabulary learning. It’s much more efficient than straight flashcards, and it’s quick and easy to use. I haven’t looked back since I started using it.
thomas | Nov 2, 2007 | Reply
I realize this post is nearly a year old, but I have a question: how exactly are you putting example sentences into mnemosyne so that you can absorb the endings? Could you describe the process in more detail?
And, since it’s been a year already, how’s your method worked out for you?
retypepassword | Oct 8, 2008 | Reply