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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] VERBS

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] VERBS
  • Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 11:56:59 +0100

On 27/07/2005 07:39, Rolf Furuli wrote:

...

In connection with the cancelability/noncancelability of characteristics we can perhaps speak of three groups of verbs:

1) Verbs where the particular characteristic easily is blotted out or changed by the context, and it is clearly seen that the characteristic is pragmatic.
2) Verbs where the characteristic is not blotted out or changed by the context, except in special cases, such as idiomatic use, illustrative use, slang, idiosyncratic or substandard use.
3) Verbs where the characteristic cannot be blotted out by the context.

I do not have a list of all the verbs that have semantic characteristics. My task, therefore, is to
demonstrate the existence of verbs belonging to group 3. So let us look at some Hebrew examples.


I am happy to distinguish your groups 1 and 2, although not convinced that there is a hard distinction between the two - at least when moving synchronically between different registers of the same language. However, I remain sceptical that there are any verbs or other words in group 3, in any language. It seems that Dave and Joel agree with me, and both of them seem to know their linguistics.

And, even if there are group 3 verbs, I don't think you will be able to demonstrate this from biblical Hebrew. The best that you can demonstrate is that there is no evidence of the characteristic being blotted out in any of the contexts found in the Hebrew Bible, and the small amount of inscriptional material. But the size of the corpus limits the variety of those contexts, and its nature means that there are especially few of the informal conversational contexts (let alone "slang, idiosyncratic or substandard use") in which characteristics are most likely to be blotted out.

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



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