Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryan Rocine" <596547 AT ican.net>]

Hi Andrew,
You wrote:
> Niccacci is saying, if I understand you correctly, that the rules are
> clearer and more often followed in prose than in poetry. Does he give any
> examples?

He examines the distribution and functions of the verb forms, finding them
is quite patterned in prose but not poetry.  As a result, he really does
not work with poetry much, at least that I know of.

> 
> As a general observation, about any language, we can say that some rules
> are followed by prose but not by poetry, and some rules are followed by
> poetry but not by prose. It would seem to cut both ways.
> 

I think you have a good point.  In BH prose, the distribution of the syntax
seems quite constrained.  In the poetry, it's the arrangement ideas in cola
that is constrained while the syntax is more free-wheeling.  In both,
discourse (a planned, meaningful, self-contained unit of text) may develop
according to some templates, but the constaints grow weaker as we get to
higher and higher divisions of language.

Shalom,
Bryan


B. M. Rocine
Associate Pastor
Living Word Church
6101 Court St. Rd.
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