[205] "Venerable sir, when one cultivates verbal conduct (vacīsamācāra) of what kind do unwholesome qualities (akusalā dhammā) decline and wholesome qualities (kusalā dhammā) increase? Here, venerable sir, a certain person, having abandoned false speech (musāvāda), abstains from false speech: whether gone to a council, gone to an assembly, gone into the midst of his relatives, gone into the midst of a guild, or gone into the midst of the royal court, when brought forward and questioned as a witness — 'Come, good man, say what you know' — not knowing, he says 'I do not know'; knowing, he says 'I know'; not seeing, he says 'I do not see'; seeing, he says 'I see.' Thus he does not speak deliberate falsehood for his own sake, or for another's sake, or for the sake of some trifling material gain. Having abandoned divisive speech (pisuṇā vācā), he abstains from divisive speech: having heard something here, he does not report it elsewhere in order to divide these people; or having heard something elsewhere, he does not report it to these in order to divide those. Thus he is a reconciler of those who are divided and a promoter of those who are united; he loves concord, delights in concord, rejoices in concord, and speaks words that create concord. Having abandoned harsh speech (pharusā vācā), he abstains from harsh speech: he speaks such words as are blameless, pleasing to the ear, lovable, going to the heart, urbane, desired by many and agreeable to many. Having abandoned idle chatter (samphappalāpa), he abstains from idle chatter: he speaks at the proper time, speaks what is factual, speaks what is beneficial, speaks on the Dhamma, speaks on the Discipline; at the proper time he speaks words worth treasuring, supported by reasons, measured, and connected with the good. Venerable sir, when one cultivates verbal conduct of such a kind, unwholesome qualities decline and wholesome qualities increase.
"So it was with reference to this that the Blessed One said: 'Bhikkhus, I say that verbal conduct is of two kinds: that which should be cultivated and that which should not be cultivated; and each of these is verbal conduct.'"
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.