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  • From: David Kummerow <farmerjoeblo AT hotmail.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Tenses - Deut 6:4
  • Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 08:46:23 +1100


Gday George,

Could I suggest a rewording to: "According to some recent research..."
That is, not everyone writing recently argues for aspect. See, for
example, ch 5 of Matthew Anstey's dissertation "Towards a Functional
Discourse Grammar Analysis of Tiberian Hebrew," which I think you have
in your college library from memory.

Also, are you able to give some response to this unanswered post?

https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/b-hebrew/2005-August/025153.html

Thanks,
David Kummerow.



According to recent research in Hebrew, there is no real 'tense' in Hebrew.
Rather, there is verbal aspect, which determines not so much 'when' an
action occurs (tense), or even 'how' the action occurs (Aktionsart), but
rather 'where' the action occurs in relation to the reader.
My quick surmise of the verbal conjugations:
Qatal = concrete action, viewed up close
Yiqtol = less-concrete action, viewed at a distance
Wayyiqtol = progressive action which 'materialises' in a narrative context,
driving a story forward
Weqatal = adjunctive action which expands the thought begun by a previous
verb, without moving to a new thought.
In all these conjugations, the context provided by the surrounding text
(deictic markers) helps determine the 'tense' we use in English translation.
As I've mentioned in past messages, I'm writing a Hebrew grammar which takes
this verbal aspect approach ('Dynamic Spatial Aspect' approach). At present,
I self-publish it each year for use at various institutions, with a view to
building it up into a volume for 'proper' publication in the near future.

Best Regards,
GEORGE ATHAS Moore Theological College (Sydney) 1 King St, Newtown, NSW 2042, Australia Ph: (+61 2) 9577 9774








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