Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>]

Dear list-memebers,

For the benefit of those following this discussion I will say a few 
words about "semantic meaning" (uncancellable meaning), which seems to 
be a strange animal in the minds of many. However, the concept is not 
strange at all but very simple.

In Hebrew we have the verb $YR ("to sing"), which signals an action 
which is durative and dynamic (dynamic=change).  Regardless of whether 
this root is used as an infinitive, a participle, a WAYYIQTOL, or as a 
YIQTOL these two properties are always the same. We can say that this 
root is marked for durativity and dynamicity, and these properties can 
never be taken away from this root.  This is semantic (uncancellable) 
meaning, and the existence of this root (and thousands of other roots 
with similar characteristics) *proves* (is not only evidence of) that 
uncancellable semantic meaning can be pinpointed in a dead language.

The default interpretation of the root ML) is "to be full," which 
signals stativity.  However, in clauses where this verb takes an object 
or there is an adverbial, the meaning can be "to fill.".  This shows 
that stativity applied to ML)  is not semantic meaning, but only 
conversational pragmatic implicature (it can change).  In fact, any 
Hebrew verb whose default interpretation is stativity can have a 
fientive interpretation as well in other contexts.  Thus, stativity in 
Hebrew is not a semantic property.

The important question in connection with this discussion is whether it 
is possible to find semantic meaning in the WAYYIQTOL and the YIQTOL, 
and in that case, whether this semantic meaning is similar or 
different.  However, that semantic meaning can be pinpointed in a dead 
language is beyond question.



Best regards

Rolf Furuli
University of Oslo