Dhatu-Patha: The Roots of Language

The Dhatu-Patha-literally ‘a recital of roots’-is a basic Sanskrit text which sets out the foundations of the verbal systems of Greek and Latin and all other Indo-European languages. It contains about 2,200 roots. A root may be defined technically as ‘the uninflected, irreducible, minimal element of a word, generally monosyllabic and always verbal in nature, i.e. expressive of activity.’ This edition is complete in itself, with its own dictionary of meanings and transliterations. Illustrative examples are taken from such widely different texts as the Veda., Plato, the Gospels and Shakespeare. This is the first time that the Dhatu-Patha has been made available in the West. It is an essential key to unlock the fundamental meaning of classic Western texts. The editors are both professional men with a long-standing interest in philology. They have worked together on this book for ten years.