Kaccayana Pali Grammar

Book excerpt: Kaccayana Pali Vyakaranam is the earliest-know ancient text of Pali grammar. It is indispensable for anyone who wants to study Pali, the historical Buddha's spoken language which is also the sacred language of Buddhism. This book offers a comprehensive translation of the ancient grammatical text along with simple explanations of the necessary details. This volume supports any serious student of Pali who wishes to build a firm grammatical foundation upon which one may gradually develop the necessary linguistic skills, and eventually master the Pali language. This book consists of the eight chapters found in the original pali text complemented by an introduction, footnotes and appendices. All brief grammatical rule called Sutras are shown in both Devanagari and Romanized Pali along with applicable example words, non-applicable examples, and split-Sutra functions. Detailed meanings and relevant examples regarding the Pali prefixes are also explained. Also included are details of a system of how verbs are formed. To make the study of Pali more accessible, a brief study-guide is also included in the introduction of the book.