Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 05/03/2004 23:25, Karl Randolph wrote:

> Peter:
>
> But already in late Biblical Hebrew, in other words, those sections written 
> after the Galut Babel, not only was the Hebrew simpler but it also shows the 
> influence of Aramaic. ...

It is precisely these simplifications that lead to the conclusion that 
the language was living. Mind you, I don't think they were all 
simplifications, just changes. And I am thinking primarily of 
grammatical forms, not loan words. The contrast with a dead language is 
that the latter becomes frozen or fossilised, with the grammatical forms 
of the classical language copied without gradual change. The graduation 
classical BH - late BH - DSS Hebrew - Mishnaic Hebrew shows the kind of 
gradual grammatical changes, e.g. in the verb system e.g. gradual loss 
of WAYYIQTOL forms and reanalysis of YIQTOL as future, characteristic of 
a living language rather than a fossil.


--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/