Pali is an old language of India. Nobody grows up speaking it at home now.

Pali是 is an old language of India是印度的一種古老語言。Nobody現在沒有人 grows up speaking it at home now在家裡是講這個語言長大的。

You meet it if you study Buddhism, because a huge set of Buddhist holy writings was kept in Pali. That set is called the Pali canon — here canon just means “the official collection of texts,” not a big gun.

You你 meet it if you study Buddhism如果研究佛教就會遇到它, because因為 a huge set of Buddhist holy writings was kept in Pali大量的佛教經典是用巴利語保存下來的。That那套經典 set is called the Pali canon叫做Pali canon（巴利大藏經） — here在這裡 canon canon這個字 just means 「the official collection of texts」只是指官方彙整的一套文獻, not a big gun不是指大砲。

Monks and scholars still read it, and some chants you hear in temples are in Pali. It is close to the kind of language people spoke in northern India around the time of the Buddha, though actually the texts were written down later.

Monks and scholars僧侶和學者 still read it現在還是會讀它, and some chants you hear in temples在寺廟裡聽到的一些誦經 are in Pali就是用巴利語唸的。It它 is close to the kind of language people spoke in northern India around the time of the Buddha接近佛陀時代印度北部人講的那種語言, though actually不過事實上 the texts were written down later經典是後來才被寫下來的。

It is not the same as Sanskrit. Sanskrit is a sister old language of India and often feels more high and school-like; Pali is the one most tied to the kind of Buddhism you meet in Thailand and Sri Lanka, and in some temples in Taiwan. In English it is a specialist word: religion class, not the night market.

It它 is not the same as Sanskrit跟梵語不一樣。Sanskrit梵語 is a sister old language of India是印度另一個姐妹古語言 and often feels more high and school-like而且常給人感覺比較高深、學院派; Pali而巴利語 is the one most tied to the kind of Buddhism you meet in Thailand and Sri Lanka, and in some temples in Taiwan則和你在泰國、斯里蘭卡、以及台灣一些寺廟裡遇到的那種佛教關係最密切。In English在英文裡 it它 is a specialist word是個專業用字: religion class用在宗教課, not the night market不是夜市裡會用的字。