[Tobias G]

On Sutta Central the Tipitaka is available in Pali but written with Latin script. Who made this translation with Latin script (from Sinhala script)?

[Lal]

EDITED: OK. I got confused, and after seeing the comment by y not below, I realized what Tobias (may be) asking.

The scripts are the same for English and Latin. That is why I got confused.

The conversion from Sinhala to English script was done by early European scholars like Rhys Davis, Eugene Burnouf, and others, who learned Pali as well as Sanskrit. They also TRANSLATED Tipitaka to English. See, “Misinterpretation of Anicca and Anatta by Early European Scholars.”

They were also confused by Pali words like anicca and anatta, which they thought the same as anitya and anatma in Sanskrit. That is why the English TRANSLATIONS are not reliable.
– However, Pali Tipitaka in English SCRIPT is correct. But there is some confusion about the spelling of some words. For example, the Pali word anicca is pronounced as “anichcha” where “ch” sound is the same as in “chicken” or “choice”. But it is written with just “c”. That was done to prevent words from getting too long.

[y not]

The English translation IS in Latin script (Tobias is saying). If there were an ‘English script’ that preceded the Latin one, that ‘English script’ would still be written in Latin script. ….. if I get Tobias right, that is.

[Tobias G]

Y Not is right. I mean this, example:

“Rūpaṃ, bhikkhave, anattā. Rūpañca hidaṃ, bhikkhave, attā abhavissa, nayidaṃ rūpaṃ ābādhāya saṃvatteyya, labbhetha ca rūpe: ‘evaṃ me rūpaṃ hotu, evaṃ me rūpaṃ mā ahosī’ti. Yasmā ca kho, bhikkhave, rūpaṃ anattā, tasmā rūpaṃ ābādhāya saṃvattati, na ca labbhati rūpe: ‘evaṃ me rūpaṃ hotu, evaṃ me rūpaṃ mā ahosī’ti.”

This is Pali with Latin script.

[Lal]

OK. I just revised my earlier post above. I hope it is clear now.

[Tobias G]

From Lals answer above I conclude that European scholars wrote the Tipitaka in Pali with Latin script, right?

[Lal]

Yes. That is my understanding. At least they started the process, using the convention that I described above.

[Author]

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