The Philology of the Pali Language
By R. P. Chaudhuri
Summary
This article examines the phonological and morphological features that distinguish Pali from Sanskrit and other Indo-Aryan languages. It explains how consonant clusters in Sanskrit simplify in Pali, with groups such as ‘kt’ and ‘pt’ becoming ‘tt’, and how aspirates weaken. Retroflex sounds replace dentals, intervocalic consonants weaken to semivowels, and final consonants are often lost. Vowel harmony and lengthening in open syllables are described, along with the smoothing of diphthongs. On the morphological side, sandhi rules are simplified and nominal and verbal endings are reduced; prefixes and suffixes assimilate to adjacent sounds, and nasal consonants merge with following letters, producing forms like ‘satta’ from ‘sapta’. The author compares Pali forms with Vedic and later Prakrit forms, showing both shared developments and innovations unique to the language. Examples from canonical texts illustrate how these rules operate in practice. The article also notes lexical borrowings and the influence of regional dialects. By analysing these patterns, the study situates Pali within the broader evolution from Old Indo-Aryan to Middle Indo-Aryan and underscores its role as a bridge between classical Sanskrit and later vernacular languages.
Conclusion
The study concludes that Pali’s phonology and morphology reflect a systematic simplification and assimilation of sounds that transformed the complex clusters and endings of Sanskrit into a smoother, orally oriented language. These changes facilitated the oral transmission of Buddhist teachings and highlight Pali’s transitional position between Old and Middle Indo‑Aryan. Understanding these patterns allows scholars to reconstruct older forms and appreciate relationships among Prakrits. The article stresses that rigorous philological analysis is vital for editing and translating Pali texts, as superficial similarities to Sanskrit can conceal deeper structural differences.