Biblical Hebrew Forum

[decaen AT chass.utoronto.ca (Vincent DeCaen)]

to my own satisfaction, i think i can demonstrate the modal analysis of
the consecutives. i invite you to look at these other languages too. looks
like tens if not hundreds of analogues. probably some SIL types know of
*more*?

but even so, i'm not home yet. i have one big iou: have to account for
mood + past = irrealis. i think historically that's easy enough: a
development from the "if X, then Y" construction.

here's the bee in my bonnet now: if you can explain the meaning of past
subjunctives in english, i can then use the same explanation in hebrew. so
e.g., "Oh Jack, knewest thou my conceit, and were but thy laugh joined to
mine, I believe it would hold me for an hour longer."

notice when it was productive, it was *also* verb initial in english.
anyway. if i can't get the professional linguists to answer this problem,
maybe we hebraists will have to do it ourselves. ;-)

happy thanksgiving, eh!
V 
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Dr Vincent DeCaen     <decaen AT chass.utoronto.ca>
c/o Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, 4 Bancroft Ave., 2d floor
University of Toronto, Toronto ON, CANADA, M5S 1A1

Hebrew Syntax Encoding Initiative, www.chass.utoronto.ca/~decaen/hsei/
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