Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Ian Hutchesson <mc2499 AT mclink.it>]

It would be hazardous to attempt to apply discourse marking as information
inherent in verb morphology. Imagine our own verb morphology: there are
three aspects used in English, but only one of these reflects sequencial
progress in a narrative. Yet it is the semantic content in the morphology
that permits the simple form of the verb to relate the narrative, while the
perfect relates non-sequential information (once you put things in sequence
the verb form becomes simple -- the only apparent exception being when
giving a running commentary saying what has happened and a sequence is
implied in the change of now).

Does anyone know of a language that codes narrative discourse information
into the verb rather than coding some aspect which incidentally is
appropriate for the discourse? I know of none. I would think then that
sequence is derived rather than principal to the verb form in this case as
well.


Cheers,


Ian