Pali is the language used for the standard version of the Buddhist Pali Canon.
The Pali Canon, also called the Tipiṭaka or Tripitaka, is the central scriptural collection of Theravada Buddhism. Pali is a Middle Indo-Aryan literary language closely related to the vernaculars of ancient northern India. It preserves sermons, monastic rules, philosophical discussions, and stories associated with the Buddha’s teaching.
Pali is not generally treated as the everyday native language of a modern speech community. It has instead remained an important liturgical and scholarly language in countries including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Monks and scholars continue to study and chant it.
Pali is sometimes incorrectly described as the Buddha’s certain spoken language. Early Buddhist traditions do not provide a simple modern identification of his exact dialect. The canon was transmitted orally for centuries before being written down, traditionally in Sri Lanka around the first century BCE.