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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Question for Rolf on the JW outlook on the Hebrew

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>
  • To: Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Question for Rolf on the JW outlook on the Hebrew
  • Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 18:22:22 +0000

On 22/03/2007 15:53, Rolf Furuli wrote:
... This means that the start of a supposed grammaticalisation process cannot
be found in the Tanakh.

Absence of adequate evidence to support a hypothesis cannot be taken as falsifying the hypothesis.

... for how can we know that a WAYYIQTOL is a partly grammaticalised past
tense, or a fully grammaticalised past tense, or a perfective or an
imperfective aspect just by looking at one particular form in its context? ...

Good question. According to your methodology, is there any way in which in principle this could be known? If there is not, your methodology and your definitions are not helpful ones for the study of ancient languages. I could also suggest that your hypothesis that for example WAYYIQTOL is NOT a tense is not falsifiable, by your method, and so not a proper hypothesis.

... Clearly, the prediction above has not been fulfilled.
But that proves nothing, except that the evidence is limited and perhaps that the model is unhelpful.

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





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