Biblical Hebrew Forum

[<tladatsi AT charter.net>]

Hello,

Since we are in Semantics 101, we can say that a lexeme is 
the minimal semantic unit of a language.   So flee, fled, 
fleeing, and fleer are forms of the English lexeme flee (to 
get away from danger quickly), even though they are spelled 
and pronounced rather differently.   Although pronounced 
exactly the same and spelled very similarly, the noun flea 
(any of various small, wingless, bloodsucking insects of 
the order Siphonaptera) is an entirely different lexeme 
from the verb flee.   In contrast, the lexeme fly probably 
includes both the verb fly (flying, flown, flies, flew and 
even flied) as well as the noun fly (any of numerous two-
winged insects of the order Diptera or a baseball hit high) 
since the noun is derived from the verb can both capture 
the same idea, i.e. flight (either doing it and something 
that does it).  A nearly identical relationship exists 
between the Hebrew word for *bird* and the verb *he flies*, 
they are spelled identically (un-pointed ?VK) and 
pronounced very similarly. 

If I write *Fly!*, am I taking the imperative form of the 
verb or announcing the presence of the noun?  They are the 
same lexeme but there is, nonetheless, ambiguity.  If I say 
*I caught a fly*, in my hand there can be one of two nouns 
but only one possible lexeme.  Puns can either play on 
different senses of the same word (or lexeme) or different 
senses or sounds of a different word. 

Genesis 25:19 ? 34, offers an interesting test.  Esau was 
born ?DM.   He traded his birthright for a bowl of ?DM.  
His nickname was ?DM.  His descendants lived in country 
called ?DM.  I will go way out on a limb and suggest that 
in each case, the same lexeme is being used. There are 
slight differences in pronunciation but the un-pointed text 
appears absolutely identical.  The author is clearly and 
intentionally creating and exploiting ambiguity (both 
visual and phonetic) both to create puns and make a 
political point.  All of this is done with the same lexeme.


Jack Tladatsi