Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Peter Kirk" <Peter_Kirk AT sil.org>]

Jack, what period are you referring to with your "3% literate" and "the
oral "common tongue" of the am ha'aretz (Aramaic) or in the written,
lterate vehicle of the educated (Hebrew)"? What is your evidence for
this figure and this characterisation of language use? And what is their
relevance to the composition (rather than the later memorisation) or
biblical poetry, and based on what unexpressed assumptions about the
dating of this poetry?

Peter Kirk

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jack Kilmon [mailto:jkilmon AT historian.net]
> Sent: 24 August 2002 22:03
> To: Biblical Hebrew
> Subject: Re: alliteration
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Andrew & Debby Kulikovsky" <hermeneutics AT kulikovskyonline.net>
> To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
> Sent: Saturday, August 24, 2002 3:14 PM
> Subject: alliteration
> 
> 
> > Hi All!
> >
> > I know alliteration is quite common in Hebrew poetry (eg. Ps 119)
but is
> it
> > unique to poetry? Does anyone know if is used in Hebrew narrative?
Any
> > examples?
> 
> 
> I think the assignment of alliteration to poetry, as in a literate
modern
> sense, is a mistake for an oral ancient society.  In a society about
3%
> literate, stories and narratives were read to the public with devices
to
> assist in memorization.  I would go as far as to say that effective
> orators
> and speakers could imbed these devices improvisationally, assonance,
> alliteration, paronomasia and rhyming meter among those tools being
almost
> automatic.  Whether in the oral "common tongue" of the am ha'aretz
> (Aramaic)
> or in the written, lterate vehicle of the educated (Hebrew), these
devices
> for memorization were imbedded not as much for their poetic value but
for
> their mnemonic value.  I would even pose that the first uses of poetry
> were
> for mnemonic purposes rather than reading Emily Dickenson over tea.
> 
> I think Amos 9:14 is a good example of alliteration.
> 
> Also in Proverbs (Mishle Shlomo) 10:9 holek b'atom yalak betach and
> Proverbs
> 15:27 is unmistakeable.
> 
> 
> Jack
> 
> 
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