SUNY Series in Buddhist Studies: The Classical Tibetan Language

Among Asian languages, Tibetan is second only to Chinese in the depth of its historical record, with texts dating back as far as the eighth and ninth centuries, written in an alphabetic script that preserves the contemporaneous phonological features of the language.

The Classical Tibetan Language is the first comprehensive description of the Tibetan language and is distinctive in that it treats the classical Tibetan language on its own terms rather than by means of descriptive categories appropriate to other languages, as has traditionally been the case. Beyer presents the language as a medium of literary expression with great range, power, subtlety, and humor, not as an abstract object. He also deals comprehensively with a wide variety of linguistic phenomena as they are actually encountered in the classical texts, with numerous examples of idioms, common locutions, translation devices, neologisms, and dialectal variations.

View More In Religion & Spirituality.

Or Browse Our Catalog.

"the glossary is intended to contain the full vocabulary"Used Book in Good Condition. ...

From the sigils of chaos magic to the numerical code of Qabalah, all magical practices operate in a web of symbols and language. Yet academics seldom examine the role that semiotics and linguistics play in the unfolding of magical works. In the follo...

Why is it that after we "fall in love," so many of us get hurt? Because we "fell!" But love feels light, energizing! So it would be more fitting to say "I've ascended in love!" and not set ourselves up for a fall.Johnston will have you laughing out l...

When R. Neville Johnston was shot three times in 1977, he died. But he came back knowing some things he hadn't known before. That the universe is made of up of vibrations for one. And that some of the most meaningful vibrations are the words we use i...

Reconnect with the wisdom of nature through the messages of our planet's most threatened species. By honoring the insight they bring to us, we deepen our connection to our own path and calling, while awakening our role in the preservation and balance...

Designed for complete beginners, and tested for years with real learners, Complete Ancient Greek offers a bridge from the textbook to the real world, enabling you to learn the grammar, understand the vocabulary and even how to translate the writings ...

Do you ever wonder what your purpose is and why you are here? This book looks at the most mysterious and deepest part of your astrological birthchart that is connected to your soul’s journey and its purpose in your life. It is a part of you that ma...

Symbolism is the language of the scriptures, writes author Alonzo Gaskill. As we more fully understand the symbolism in the scriptures and the temple, we re led to deeper, more profound insights and truths, allowing us to more readily liken the scrip...

The idea of "world religions" expresses a vague commitment to multiculturalism. Not merely a descriptive concept, "world religions" is actually a particular ethos, a pluralist ideology, a logic of classification, and a form of knowledge that has shap...

One of the leading scholars of Hasidism and modern Jewish theology has brought together and translated a wide selection of the Torah teachings of the Sefat Emet—one of the last great masters of Polish Hasidism. Green’s personal insightful comment...