ភាសាបាលី: ប្រវត្តិដើម

ប្រវត្តិដើម 

 នៅក្នុងពុទ្ធសាសនាថេរវាទ 
នៅក្នុងប្រភពនៃ ថេរវាទ ត្រូវបានស្គាល់ភាសាបាលីជាភាសា មគធៈ (Magadha). ភាសានេះត្រូវបានសរសេរនៅក្នុងព្រះត្រៃបិដក, អដ្ឋកថា ជាដើម, ហើយ​នឹង​ត្រូវ​បាន​ព្យាយាម​ប្រើ​ប្រាស់​ដោយ​ពុទ្ធ​សាសនិក​ជន​​ជា​ច្រើន ដើម្បី​ងាយ​ស្រួល​ក្នុង​ការ​ប្រាស្រ័យ​ទាក់​ទង​នឹង​សាសន៍​ដទៃ​ដែល​​កាន់​​ព្រះពុទ្ធ​សាសនា​ដូចគ្នា ។ ព្រះ​ពុទ្ធ​បង្រៀន, ប្រទាន​ឱវាទ ដល់​ជន​ទាំង​ឡាយ​ជា​ភាសា​មគធៈ ប៉ុន្តែ​ទី​ស្ថាន​សំខាន់​ៗ​ ៤ ​កន្លែង​របស់​ព្រះអង្គ​ ស្ថិត​នៅ​ក្រៅ​តំបន់​នេះ​ទាំង​អស់ ។ វា​ប្រហែល​ជា​ភាសា​បាលី​ជា​គ្រាម​ភាសា​ដែល​ធ្វើ​អោយ​​មាន​ការ​ងាយ​ស្រួល​ក្នុង​ការ​ពន្យល់​ និង ​ងាយ​យល់​ពីសំណាក់​ប្រជាជន ឥណ្ឌូអារ្យមជ្ឈិម ។ គេ​ពុំ​ទាន់​ឃើញ​មាន​​ភស្តុតាង​​ណា​មួយ​ដែល​អាច​បញ្ជាក់ពីភាសា​ដទៃ​របស់​ពួក​ ឥណ្ឌូអារ្យមជ្ឈិម​ ដែល​ប្រសើរ​​ជាង​​ភាសា​បាលី​ទេ ។ គេ​ឃើញ​មាន​​ភាសា​បាលី​នៅ​ក្នុង​សិលា​ចារឹក​​ជា​ច្រើន​​របស់​ព្រះបាទ​អសោកនៅ ​Girnar​ ផ្នែកខាងលិចប្រទេសឥណ្ឌា, និង c នៅខាងកើត ។ Similarities to the Western inscription may be misleading, because the inscription suggests that the Ashokan scribe may not have translated the material he omreceived from មគធៈ into the vernacular of the people there. Whatever the relationship of the Buddha's speech to Pali, the Canon was eventually transcribed and preserved entirely in it, while the commentarial tradition that accompanied it (according to the information provided by ព្រះពុទ្ធឃោសៈ) was translated into olkភាសាសីហឡៈ and preserved  local languages for several generations.

In Sri Lanka, Pali is thought to have entered into a period of decline ending around the 4th or 5th century (as Sanskrit rose in prominence, and simultaneously, as Buddhism's adherents became a smaller portion of the subcontinent), but ultimately survived. The work of Buddhaghosa was largely responsible for its reemergence as an important scholarly language in Buddhist thought. The Visuddhimagga and the other commentaries that Buddhaghosa compiled codified and condensed the Sinhalese commentarial tradition that had been preserved and expanded in Sri Lanka since the 3rd century BCE.

 ទិដ្ឋភាពនៅដើមបស្ចឹម 
T.W. Rhys Davids in his book Buddhist India,Buddhist India, ch. 9 Retrieved 14 June 2010. and Wilhelm Geiger in his book Pali Literature and Language, suggested that Pali may have originated as a form of lingua franca or common language of culture among people who used differing dialects in North India, used at the time of the Buddha and employed by him. Another scholar states that at that time it was "a refined and elegant vernacular of all Aryan-speaking people."Hazra, Kanai Lal. Pali Language and Literature; a systematic survey and historical study. D.K. Printworld Lrd., New Delhi, 1994, page 11. Modern scholarship has not arrived at a consensus on the issue; there are a variety of conflicting theories with supporters and detractors.Hazra, Kanai Lal. Pali Language and Literature; a systematic survey and historical study. D.K. Printworld Lrd., New Delhi, 1994, pages 1-44. After the death of the Buddha, Pali may have evolved among Buddhists out of the language of the Buddha as a new artificial language.Hazra, Kanai Lal. Pali Language and Literature; a systematic survey and historical study. D.K. Printworld Lrd., New Delhi, 1994, page 29. R.C. Childers, who held to the theory that Pali was Old Magadhi, wrote: "Had Gautama never preached, it is unlikely that Magadhese would have been distinguished from the many other vernaculars of Hindustan, except perhaps by an inherent grace and strength which make it a sort of Tuscan among the Prakrits."Hazra, Kanai Lal. Pali Language and Literature; a systematic survey and historical study. D.K. Printworld Lrd., New Delhi, 1994, page 20.

According to K.R. Norman, it is likely that the viharas in North India had separate collections of material, preserved in the local dialect. In the early period it is likely that no degree of translation was necessary in communicating this material to other areas. Around the time of Ashoka there had been more linguistic divergence, and an attempt was made to assemble all the material. It is possible that a language quite close to the Pali of the canon emerged as a result of this process as a compromise of the various dialects in which the earliest material had been preserved, and this language functioned as a lingua franca among Eastern Buddhists in India from then on. Following this period, the language underwent a small degree of Sanskritisation (i.e., MIA bamhana -> brahmana, tta -> tva in some cases).K.R. Norman, Pali Literature. Otto Harrassowitz, 1983, pages 1-7.

 Modern scholarship 

Bhikkhu Bodhi, summarizing the current state of scholarship, states that the language is "closely related to the language (or, more likely, the various regional dialects) that the Buddha himself spoke." He goes on to write:

According to A.K. Warder, the Pali language is a Prakrit language used in a region of western India.Warder, A.K. Indian Buddhism. 2000. p. 284 Warder associates Pali with the Indian realm (janapada) of Avanti, where the Sthavira sect was centered.Warder, A.K. Indian Buddhism. 2000. p. 284 Following the initial split in the Buddhist community, the Sthavira branch of Buddhism became influential in western and southern India, while the Mahāsāṃghika branch became influential in central and eastern India.Hirakawa, Akira. Groner, Paul. A History of Indian Buddhism: From Śākyamuni to Early Mahāyāna. 2007. p. 119 Akira Hirakawa and Paul Groner also associate Pali with west India and the Sthavira sect, citing inscriptions at Girnar in Gujarat, India, which are linguistically closest to the Pali language.Hirakawa, Akira. Groner, Paul. A History of Indian Buddhism: From Śākyamuni to Early Mahāyāna. 2007. p. 119