Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryan Rocine" <brocine AT earthlink.net>]

B-Haverim,

I am still listening (and still on the b-hebrew staff
although in a temporarily diminished role).  I am quite busy
with the end of a two and a half year project that makes it
very hard to chat with y'all at present.  I would love to
answer Rodney's query and wrangle with Rolf, but alas, time
prohibits.  I would especially like to discuss 1 Sam 17,
David's "resume" before Saul, since it is a showcase passage
in my grammar (BTW, thanks to all who recently remembered my
work).  For instance, I would like to ask if you all think
the text indicates whether David killed one bear one time
and one lion one time or that he had an on-going battle
against many lions and bears.  I think it was one bear and
one lion like I think Saul put one helmet on one David one
time in v. 38 and Ehud locked one lock on one door!

I come out of hiding primarily for two reasons, to answer
Peter's query about my membership on the list (I'm here!
;-)  ) and to speak re discourse analysis.

Liz asks what DA is.  I believe for Biblical Hebrew it is
the study of how a writer/speaker uses linguistic signs to
guide his audience through his text.

DA for some people can make use of poetics ala Sternberg,
Alter, Berlin who all bring considerable discipline and
objective analysis to understanding the text as literature.
But for many of us DA of another flavor objectively uses the
distribution of linguistic forms within the text to prove
such pragmatic phenomenon as communication goal,
scene-setting, the advance of story time, dramatic pause,
location of climax, segmentation of the text, rhetorical
techniques such as mitigation or attempts to control a
conversation, and many others.

As for my first year grammar called _Learning Biblical
Hebrew:A New Approach Using Discourse Analysis_, I can make
claims to neither brilliance nor bravery.  (perhaps
foolhardy would be more appropriate for me.)  My only claims
are to sincerity in the belief that DA is essential and
cannot properly be delayed to either later or tangential
Hebrew studies and to having a decent bibliography.  My
volume is indeed a great entry point into the more
linguistically flavored DA.

Have you looked carefully at my grammar, Clay?  I do think
it can have a significant impact on the way foreign
languages are taught, particularly "dead" or "read only"
foreign languages such as the Biblical dialects of Hebrew
and Greek.  The approach definitely works.  I have dreams of
writing a second year course with a DA approach that
features numerous readings in Biblical poetry.  I have
taught the course this way a few times and the notes are
coming together slowly.

Shalom,
Bryan






----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Kirk" <Peter_Kirk AT sil.org>
To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 5:27 AM
Subject: Discourse analysis curriculum (was: RE: Hebrew
Syntax.)


> Well, our former (?) list moderator Bryan Rocine tried to
do that, at
> least for Hebrew. I hope he is sufficiently brave and
brilliant. Are you
> still listening, Bryan?
>
> Also I suspect that this is the direction Randall Buth is
going, with
> Hebrew and Greek, but I will let him comment. He is
certainly both brave
> and brilliant enough for such a venture.
>
> Peter Kirk
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: c stirling bartholomew
[mailto:cc.constantine AT worldnet.att.net]
> > Sent: 10 April 2002 05:30
> > To: Peter Kirk; Biblical Hebrew
> > Subject: Re: Hebrew Syntax.
> >
> <snip>
> >
> > We need someone to develop an entire Hebrew & Greek
curriculum which
> is
> > written from a DA perspective. This will have to be
someone who is
> both
> > brave and brilliant which rules out most of us.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Clay
> >
> >
> > --
> > Clayton Stirling Bartholomew
> > Three Tree Point
> > P.O. Box 255 Seahurst WA 98062
>
>


B. M. Rocine
Associate Pastor
Living Word Church
6101 Court St. Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13206

(office) 315-437-6744
(home) 315-445-3085