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  • From: Trevor Peterson <06PETERSON AT cua.edu>
  • To: Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [b-hebrew] Paper uploaded: Tagging Hebrew Tense, Aspect, Mood
  • Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2003 08:04:33 -0500

>===== Original Message From pennerkm AT mcmaster.ca =====
>I am seeking feedback on a paper entitled "Toward a Method of Tagging Hebrew
>Tense, Aspect, and Mood." http://s91279732.onlinehome.us/thesis/TMA.pdf

"Yet because most agree that a waw prefix somehow changes ("converts") the
meaning of the conjugations, there are at least four basic verb forms, and
perhaps six if a formal distinction can be made between simple conjunctive
waw
and conversive waw." (p. 7)

A couple of thoughts here. First, it is probably not correct to say that
"most
agree" on the notion of a vav-conversive, at least not for the vayyiqtol
form.
The term temds to be abandoned in favor of vav-consecutive, preterite, or in
the case of my teacher Doug Gropp, narrative. The point is that it is
believed
to be a historically distinct prefixing conjugation, which only happens to
converge with the imperfect because of final vowel loss. The vav is not
converting anything--it only helps to mark where this old preterite form has
been preserved in Hebrew. (Prefixing preterites without the vav are thought
to
appear mostly in poetry by convention, and in a few conditioned prose
contexts.) I don't think most people who hold this sort of view would want it
lumped in with the vav-conversive notion.

I'm not sure the independent clause is right either. The imperative, jussive,
and cohortative seem to be omitted from consideration here. Even if you
disagree with the evidence for a formally distinct jussive, the independent
imperative form is beyond question. I don't know, either, that anyone would
consider conjunctive vav to establish a unique verb form. It's simply a vav
with a verb, and the verb would normally be analyzed as if the conjunction
were not there.

p. 9--Why not use the standard Semitic letter-abbreviations for the binyanim?
It doesn't make a great deal of difference, I suppose, but I don't see much
point in creating your own abbreviations, when perfectly workable standards
already exist?

p. 11--In the section on Genre, "P or Prescriptive" is presumably a typo.

p. 12--As I recall, Maedchen actually has variable gender these days. It used
to be neuter, but it has shifted in the direction of feminine.

p. 13 (line 6)--"I describe of each" is presumably a typo.

Trevor Peterson
CUA/Semitics





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