Biblical Hebrew Forum

[David Kummerow <farmerjoeblo AT hotmail.com>]

I guess I should point out that weqatal does not appear ONLY in what I 
would analyse as cosubordinate constructions. It also figures 
prominently in hypothetical/conditional constructions and, to a lesser 
degree, purpose/result constructions. Rainey covers all of this as does 
Anstey.

David Kummerow.



> Hi Peter,
>
> The cosubordinate constructional analysis of weqatal is by no means my 
> idea. Matthew Anstey argues this in his dissertation and in an article 
> which may still be in preparation, I'll have to check. Other related 
> research on verbal deranking in BH is: Winther-Nielsen 1995: 53-62, 
> 270-277; Dallaire 2002; Diehl 2004; Baayen 1997; Talstra 1997. The 
> cosubordinate uses of weqatal are diachronically explainable (see 
> Rainey's Amarna work and article in ANES) and typologically 
> unexceptionable due to cross-linguistic similarity (see Cristofaro 2003).
>
> I have not suggested that this is the case with wayyiqtol and do not 
> believe it is so (DeCaen from memory argues something along these lines 
> though with his proposal of modal coordination). That is, wayyiqtol is a 
> narrative verb. qatal has a range of uses, the core of which in my 
> opinion may be related to past tense, but may also be used in 
> cosubordinate constructions.
>
> Baayen, R. Harald. 1997. “The Pragmatics of the ‘Tenses’ in Biblical 
> Hebrew.” Studies in Language 21: 245-285.
> Cristofaro, Sonia. 2003. Subordination. Oxford Studies in Typology and 
> Linguistic Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
> Dallaire, Hélène. 2002. “The Syntax of Volitives in Northwest Semitic 
> Prose.” PhD diss., Hebrew Union College.
> Diehl, Johannes F. 2004. Die Fortführung des Imperativs im Biblischen 
> Hebräisch. Alter Orient und Altes Testament 286. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag.
> Rainey, A. F. 2003. “The Suffix Conjugation Pattern in Ancient Hebrew: 
> Tense and Modal Functions.” Ancient Near Eastern Studies 40: 3-42.
> Talstra, Eep. 1997. “Tense, Mood, Aspect and Clause Connections in 
> Biblical Hebrew: A Textual Approach.” Journal of Northwest Semitic 
> Languages 23/2: 81-103.
> Winther-Nielsen, Nicolai. 1995. A Functional Discourse Grammar of 
> Joshua: A Computer-Assisted Rhetorical Structure Analysis. Coniectanea 
> Biblica Old Testament Series 40. Stochholm: Almqvist & Wiksell.
>
> Regards,
> David Kummerow.
>
> > On 16/03/2007 19:44, David Kummerow wrote:
> >
> > >/ ... weqatal is used in cosubordinate 
> > />/ constructions where it inherits its tense, aspect, mood, and 
> > />/ illocutionary force from the preceding main clause. ...
> > /
> > This is an interesting way of putting things which might clarify what I 
> > wrote before about WEQATAL.
> >
> > Would you suggest something similar about WAYYIQTOL? We might then argue 
> > that the function of the prefixed vav is to neutralise the tense and 
> > aspect attributes of the verb form so that it takes the tense and aspect 
> > of the preceding main clause. Thus the prefixed vav has one function, 
> > not two contradictory ones.
> >
> > But the problem with this analysis is that it does not explain why 
> > WEQATAL is used in some contexts and WAYYIQTOL and WEYIQTOL in others.
> >
> > Another problem with this is that WAYYIQTOL is sometimes found without a 
> > preceding main clause, or else the main clause gives a background and 
> > setting, or a time, which clearly has a different tense and aspect from 
> > the WAYYIQTOL clause. But I then this happens with WEQATAL as well, in 
> > cases like Jeremiah 9:24 (English v.25) HINNEH YAMIM BA'IM ... UPAQADTIY 
> > ... (similar references are Jeremiah 7:32; 9:25; 16:14; 19:6; 23:5,7; 
> > 30:3; 31:27,38; 33:14; 48:12; 49:2; 51:52; Amos 8:11; 9:13; I haven't 
> > checked them all); the WEQATAL UPAQADTIY surely does not have the 
> > progressive aspect of the main clause expressed in a participle. So your 
> > description of WEQATAL, attractive though it is, doesn't work.
> >
> > --
> > Peter Kirk
> > E-mail:  peter at qaya.org 
> > <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew>
> > Blog:    http://www.qaya.org/blog/
> > Website: http://www.qaya.org/