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b-hebrew - Re: Prefix or Imperfect, Qal or D

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  • From: "Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>
  • To: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: Prefix or Imperfect, Qal or D
  • Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 10:59:05 -0700


Brian,
> I am using Kittel, Hoffer and Wright. I am getting a little concerned about
> the terminology. What do you sugguest beginning students need to know about
> terminology? For example:
>
> 1. Prefix or imperfect form.

In my online course I use the terms prefix, imperfect and yiqtol
interchangeably (having explained them, of course) to get my
students accustomed to identifying all the terms with the same
form. Given the choice, I use F. I. Andersen's shorthand developed
in "The Sentence in Biblical Hebrew" which uses VS for suffixed
verb, VP (I change this to PV to avoid confusion with the
abbreviation for "verb phrase") for prefixed form, WS for waw-
suffixed and WP for waw-prefixed. Since I seem to be the only
person in the world who has adopted this pattern :-) my second
choices are qatal, yiqtol, weqatal and wayyiqtol.

> 2. Affix or perfect form.

See above.

> 3. Qal Piel or D, D2, etc.

The letter forms have never caught on to my knowledge, except
possibly in German works. As far as I know, nearly everybody still
uses the Qal, Pi`el, Niph`al etc. I always try to put the reverse
apostrophe in the names just because...that's how I do it ;-)

> What is the most appropriate way to describe the differences in terms,
> (aspect and stem names,etc.) to beginning students?

I try to prepare them for what they will encounter in the literature
such as the lexica, grammars and journals. That's why I use
several different terms interchangeably, because that's what they'll
encounter "out there."

> 4. Should the traditional labels for stems be kept, or is there enough
> reasons to accept the newer labels? Could someone provide me a list of
> those labels?

I never learned the newer labels, and haven't seen a single journal
article or commentary (at least in English) that uses them. Hence,
I would teach students the traditional labels, at least for the stems.

Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
"Ich veranlassenarbeitenworken mein Mojo."




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