Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>]

On 05/03/2007 16:55, Rolf Furuli wrote:
> ...
> RF
> The general word "everything" was meant to signal that all the uses of verbs
> in the Tanakh can be explained without a single exception by the
> two-component model presented in my dissertation. In the last chapter, I 
> discuss this from the point of view of the Philosophy of Science. When 
> definitions can explain every use, they either are too vague (thus 
> explaining nothing) or they are close to outlining the true nature of the 
> system.
>   

Well, Rolf, how would you react to my suggestion that your explanation 
is too vague and so explains nothing? That is my understanding of your 
work. For as far as I know you have not explained the observed pattern 
of verb forms, you have simply explained them away as pragmatic rather 
than semantic. Nevertheless there must have been some reason (even if it 
was just the toss of a coin!) why Hebrew authors chose particular verb 
forms in particular cases, and in fact rather consistently at least in 
narrative. Dismissing these issues as pragmatic is not an explanation.

--
Peter Kirk
E-mail:  peter AT qaya.org
Blog:    http://www.qaya.org/blog/
Website: http://www.qaya.org/