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  • From: "Rolf Furuli" <furuli AT online.no>
  • To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Verbal Aspect
  • Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2007 07:49:16 -0000

Dear Vadim,

Honestly speaking, Vadim, I have no idea of what you mean. In order to be
understood you have to define all the concepts you use carefully, and in a
detailed way show how these concepts relates to each of the Hebrew
conjugations, be they two or four. For example, my first impression of your
words "deictic center shift" is that this means "relative tense" (as defined
by Comrie this meansadeictic center different from speech time). However, M. Broman Olsen has argued that in the English
language, this "deictic shift" or "relative tense" should be interpreted as
an aspectual property. Therefore, detailed definitions are mandatory.


Best regards,

Rolf Furuli
University of Oslo



----- Original Message ----- From: "Vadim Cherny" <VadimCherny AT mail.ru>
To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 11:10 PM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Verbal Aspect


I wonder, could anyone voice any argument against my simple hypothesis of
Hebrew tenses:

Deictic center shift was the original meaning of prefix waw, and tense
reversal is derivative sense. "And he would say" (wayiqtol) about past
events and "and he said" (weqatal) by a prophet who relates his vision -
evolved into "he said" and "he will say," respectively.

Some wayiqtols relate future events, "and + future tense verb" without
deictic center shift.



In other words, wayiqtol is "and yiqtol." Narrator is immersed into the
past
events, his deictic center shifts, and he employs future tense about the
events, long past for his readers but still in the future from his deictic
point.

English is not very flexible about deicti center shifts, but, for example,
Russian employs deictic shifts a lot in recitals.



My explanation is the simplest, logical, and fully consistent with
observed
facts.



Vadim Cherny

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