I still think Professor Smith’s interpretation makes sense. nirutti does not refer to any particular language, 
it makes better sense to take sakAya niruttiyA  as "in my own words", i.e. without embroidering on it. The 
Buddha did not want his teaching to be distorted by fanciful interpretations.
What language the Buddha actually spoke is an entirely different question. Was the Buddha really concerned
with the linguistic varieties in India? 
The census takers in modern India ask people what language they speak. A villager from Ratnapur (I have
invented this village name) will say he speaks Ratnapuri. A worker from Hoshiapur will give his language
as Hoshiapuri. 
Stella Sandahl
Professor emerita
University of Toronto



On Apr 18, 2017, at 11:43 PM, Dominik Wujastyk <wujastyk@gmail.com> wrote:

The Pali doesn't actually say "Buddha's own dialect".  That's the whole point of the problem and why it has been discussed by many scholars.  It says "in his own dialect." This is ambiguous: we don't know whether "his own" (saka) refers to the Buddha or to a person in the audience.   Is the Buddha saying "teach people in my language" or "teach people in their own language?"

​
--
Professor Dominik Wujastyk
​,​

Singhmar Chair in Classical Indian Society and Polity
​,​

University of Alberta, Canada
​.​

South Asia at the U of A:
 
​sas.ualberta.ca​
​​


On 18 April 2017 at 00:54, alakendu das via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:
<

Dr.Sandahl,
I had been curiously following the scholastic deliberations on Buddhabachanam.
Since long, I had an inner feeling that there is actually a reference where Siddhartha
Gautama Buddha insisted on using his own language while propagating his teachings. Finally
I stumbled upon a reference from Chullavagga( a constituent part of Vinaya Pitaka),in course
of studying a chapter on Pali in a certain book on the History of Sanskrit Literature. I am
not conversant in Pali, but the qoute in ChullaVagga has Buddha instructing- ANUJANAMI
VIKHABE SAKAYANIRUTIYA BUDDHABACHANAM PARIYAPUNITUM'(Ref-Chullavagga 5.33.1) which roughly
translates as - While teaching the views of Buddha , one should use Buddha's own dialect(
sakaya Nirutya implies own dialect).About Buddha's own dialect, it is well known that hailing
from Magadha ,BUDDHA spoke Magadhi . There is a further reference ( source unknown)which says-
SO CHA BHAGABA MAGADHO, SA CHA MAGADHE BHABATTYE, SA CHA BHASHA MAGADHI. Inspite my poor
knowledge in Pali,I can understand the above qoute as- Buddha was a resident of Magadha and
his own dialect was Magadhi.

ALAKENDU DAS.




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