Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Dave Washburn <dwashbur AT nyx.net>]

Nor do I, but thanks for correcting me on that.

On Wednesday 06 October 2004 00:27, David Kummerow wrote:
> Actually, Holmstedt is one of the few who *does* argue for a S-V order for
> BH. (Not that I want to fire up this debate again!)
>
> David Kummerow.
>
> >On Tuesday 05 October 2004 15:17, C. Stirling Bartholomew wrote:
> >>Judg. 6:8 wy$lx yhwh )y$ nby) )l-bny y&r)l wy)mr lhM kh-)mr yhwh )lhy
> >
> >y&r)l
> >
> >>)nky h(lyty )tkM mmcryM w)cy) )tkM mbyt (bdyM
> >>
> >>The "clause"  ... )nky h(lyty )tkM mmcryM ... looks exceedingly
> >
> >innocent to
> >
> >>the untrained eye, an explicit pronominal subject before a finite verb.
> >>However, while working my way once again through "Fronting"
> >
> >R.Holmstedt*,
> >
> >>I came across a discussion of Judg. 6:8 in another place**.
> >>
> >>What can we say about  )nky ? Well using a somewhat lazy definition of
> >>"focus" I would suggest that  )nky points the reader to what is important
> >>about the following clause. What is important is who did it. The
> >
> >preverbal
> >
> >>pronoun focuses the readers attention on the _who_ not the _what_.
> >
> >Without
> >
> >>this pronoun, the _what_ would fall into the new information slot.
> >
> >With the
> >
> >>preverbal pronoun, the new information slot moves.
> >
> >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.  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.
> >
> >--
> >Dave Washburn
> >http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
> >"No good.  Hit on head."   -Gronk
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> FREE* Month of Movies with FOXTEL Digital:
> http://adsfac.net/link.asp?cc=FXT002.7542.0
>
> _______________________________________________
> b-hebrew mailing list
> b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew

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