Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Dave Washburn <dwashbur AT nyx.net>]

On Tuesday 05 October 2004 19:18, C. Stirling Bartholomew wrote:
> On 10/5/04 2:37 PM, "Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net> wrote:
> > The biggest problem I see with this idea is that, like so many others, he
> > assumes that the basal constituent order in Hebrew is V - S, which may or
> > may not be the case.
>
> Agreed.
>
> >  Most of the grammars out there assume this order mainly
> > because the wayyiqtol form is so prevalent in the HB, and this form is
> > always clause-initial.  But there is strong evidence that it is a
> > "derived" form (for lack of a better term) that has in fact itself been
> > "fronted," and the basal order in Heb. is S - V - (O).  If this is the
> > case, then we don't really have a pronoun being "fronted" here.  Since
> > this is the first clause in a section of direct speech, it would appear
> > to me that it simply identifies the new speaker.  Whether that puts
> > emphasis on the "who" rather than the "what" is another issue, more
> > involved with pragmatics than with syntax.  Or so ISTM.
>
> So lets ignore the position of the pronoun and ask the question why do we
> see a pronoun at all? What is the function of the pronoun. I agree this has
> to do with issues other than syntax. "Focus" isn't a syntax issue.

And unfortunately, that puts it outside my area of real expertise.  My 
research rarely goes above the clause and/or clause-connector level.  I can 
spell "pragmatics," but that's about it :-)

-- 
Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
"No good.  Hit on head."   -Gronk