Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 28/04/2005 21:20, Rolf Furuli wrote:

> Dear Peter,
>
> I do not think we should forget Biblia Hebraica, because the issue 
> raised by
> Sperber is important: Do we get our understanding of Hebrew grammar 
> from the
> Hebrew text, or are we forcing our own wiew of Hebrew grammar on the 
> Hebrew
> text (a view we got from our teachers, who got it from their teachers, 
> who
> got it from their teachers...)?


OK, but see below...

> ... the opinions of leading
> scholars have counted more than the witness of the biblical text itself.
> Today scholars do not emend the text, but still The Grammar has the
> priority. All kinds of strange explanations are given to passages
> contradicting The Grammar, and no single study exists where *all* the 
> verbs
> that contradict the established grammar of four conjugations are 
> discussed
> and accounted for. So let us never forget Biblica Hebraica!  It is a 
> witness
> in favor of the need of a scientific revolution (in the Kuhnian sense 
> of the
> concept) in connection with The Grammar.
Looking at things from the periphery, it seems to me that the scientific 
revolution has already taken place. The idea of emending the text to fit 
the supposed grammar has long been dropped. It is recognised (by most, 
if not by you with your insistence on uncancellable semantic 
distinctions) that real texts do not perfectly fit any grammar model. 
And many scholars have questioned the established view of the grammar. 
In my opinion, the reason why the established model of grammar has not 
been entirely overthrown is because there is ample evidence that it is 
in broad terms correct. I am sure the model needs some refinement, and 
many studies are in progress. But there is simply no evidence that it is 
entirely wrong, and plenty of evidence that your preferred two-component 
model is not an adequate explanation of the verbal system. (See the 
archives for this as I don't intend to justify it yet again.)

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



--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.10.4 - Release Date: 27/04/2005