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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Psa 107:19-21 (was WAYYIQTOL)

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Sameer Yadav <sameer_yadav2 AT yahoo.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Psa 107:19-21 (was WAYYIQTOL)
  • Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 10:01:56 -0800

On 24/03/2004 07:01, Sameer Yadav wrote:

...

If the modal uses of qtl count as strong enough
evidence to reject the modal version of the
waw-conversive theory, then all the modal uses of wqtl
where the waw is being used as a simple coordinating
conjunction count as straightforward modal uses of
qtl, which completely undermines both Hatav and Zuber. ...


I haven't looked into your argument in detail. But it seems to me that you are presenting a rather small number of examples as evidence to reject and "completely undermine" certain theories. At this point I reject your methodology, for the same reason that I reject Rolf Furuli's. I would expect that in natural language (and especially in ancient texts which may be corrupt) there will always be a small number of cases which do not fit neatly into any theory. Sometimes a refinement, rather than rejection, of the theory may be necessary; but even so, with an ancient language with no mother tongue speakers available, we must expect that there will be a small number of occurrences which we can never explain properly.

If you can find a better theory which accounts for 100% of the data, or even 99.5%, please let us know, but until then be careful about rejecting theories which account for 99% of it.


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





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