Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Verbal Aspect

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>
  • To: Ken Penner <ken.penner AT acadiau.ca>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Verbal Aspect
  • Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:15:42 +0000

On 07/03/2007 18:02, Ken Penner wrote:
Dear Peter,

I suspect you may be referring to my work when you say a significant change
had occurred in the Hebrew verb system by the end of the period in which the
Dead Sea Scrolls were written. (Or were you thinking of Kutscher?)
It is true that I demonstrated in my dissertation that the DSS Hebrew verbs
do not grammaticalize aspect (i.e., viewpoint aspect, as defined by Comrie or
Binnick). But I would not say that this is a change from Biblical Hebrew,
since I am not convinced that Biblical Hebrew grammaticalized aspect either
(despite the recent work by Cook and Furuli). Of the theories regarding
Biblical Hebrew, I am intrigued by those giving prominence to modality (e.g.,
Joosten, Hatav), especially since modality is prominent in Mishnaic Hebrew
and the evidence from Qumran is consistent with a theory that the verb forms
grammaticalize modality.

Yes, Ken, I was thinking of your work. Well, I guess Rolf would agree with me that the system you have found for DSS Hebrew is different from that of biblical Hebrew, even if you don't agree.

I suppose the test would be if you analysed BH by the same methods that you have used for DSS. Have you done anything like this?

But then I wonder if either BH or DSS actually grammaticalised anything in the verb system, in the kind of sense which you and Rolf have in mind. If what we have found is that there are no definite and uncancellable rules, what is the implication of that? It is surely not that all of the different verb forms are interchangeable, but rather that there are rules which are more complex than yet understood.

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





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page