Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Rolf Furuli" <furuli AT online.no>]

Dear list-members,

My analysis of the YIQTOLs (including the percentage of the total number of 
YIQTOLs) is as follows:

Past (including 5 examples of pre-past "pluperfect"): 1,027 7.5%
Present: 2,461 18.1%
Future: 4,841 35.5%
Modal: 5,117 37.6%
Present completed ("perfect"): 173 1.3%

I argue that in most cases when a YIQTOL has past reference, the reason for 
its use rather than a WAYYIQTOL, is that some word element precedes the 
YIQTOL. If the word order were changed, the YIQTOL would probably have 
become a WAYYIQTOL. The reason for this is not that WAYYIQTOLs are 
preterites or are perfective, but rather that the conjunction WAW plays a 
very important syntactical role in narratives and accounts with past 
reference.


Best regards

Rolf Furuli
University of Oslo


> So, it would seem that the numbers of YIQTOLs which are past, present
> and future by Rolf's reckoning are each of the same order of magnitude.
> I don't think Rolf has posted here his full statistics for YIQTOLs.
> Perhaps he might like to now.