[b-hebrew] How does biblical Hebrew describe a past event?
Rolf Furuli
furuli at online.no
Mon Jun 22 11:54:17 EDT 2009
Dear David,
This was just a sweeping statement of yours without any
documentation. From our previous discussions it appears that you and
I understand fundamental linguistic concepts completely different
and live in two different linguistic worlds. So I see no reason for a
discussion of Hebrew verbs between you and me.
You have also in other forums made sweeping statements, as in your
review of my doctoral dissertation in "Journal of Asia Adventist
Seminary". About 18 months ago, Yitzhak Sapir raised some questions
about the quality of my dissertation and asked if there were any peer
reviews. Questions regarding your review should therefore be relevant
for b-hebrew, both because of this and because of your claim in your
last E-mail that the conclusions of my dissertation regarding YIQTOL
and WAYYIQTOL have repeatedly been shown to be wrong on this list.
I will only mention one point that may illuminate the claim you made
in your last E-mail. The most important error of your review is that
you completely have misunderstood the basic parameters I use in my
analysis of Hebrew verbs, namely event time, reference time, and
deictic center. The definition of my "reference time" that you
present is completely wrong, and is not found in the dissertation.
And the same is true with your presentation of my "deictic center,"
where you misquote the dissertation, because you have not understood
that my words refer to the abstract term "deictic" and not to the
parameter "deictic center". Therefore, many of your arguments against
my conclusions actually hit a straw man; you cannot effectively argue
against something that you have not understood!
At the beginning you say, "As will soon be apparent, I disagree with
Furuli at almost every point." This is hardly a good setting for a
real peer review, which should be a balanced, scientific discussion.
Your words suggest that what you have written rather is a one-sided
or biased discussion. Moreover, a peer review of a Ph.D dissertation
should be made by a peer, by one who both have a Ph.D and is an
expert in the field. But your lack of understanding of fundamental
linguistic concepts and several other misunderstandings and
misrepresentations lead me to wonder about your qualifications.
On "BibleWorks User Forum" your profile is: "Research assistant,
teaching Biblical Hebrew, Ph.D thesis on BH pronouns". I would like
to ask about the background you had when you wrote the review: Which
grades in Hebrew and Semitics did you have? Had you at that time
defended your doctoral dissertation? Have you published any articles
or monographs dealing with Hebrew verbs or Semitic linguistics? How
long have you taught Hebrew on the university level?
For the record, there are two other reviews of my dissertation that
are diametrically different from Kummerow's review: "Hebrew Studies"
48 (2007) 359-62 by professor E. R Hayes, and The Society of Biblical
Literature (http:/www.bookreviews.org/subscribe.asp) by professor
John Kaltner.
Best regards,
Rolf Furuli
University of Oslo
>[snip]
>
>> My challenge is: Can anyone
>> on the basis of linguistic arguments applied to
>> BH show that my claim is either wrong or doubtful?
>>
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Rolf Furuli
>> University of Oslo
>>
>
>Hi Rolf,
>
>This has already been done repeatedly on this list. So we need not go
>over it again -- at least that is the reason why I haven't responded to
>your posts.
>
>Regards,
>David Kummerow.
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