Biblical Hebrew Forum

["George Athas" <george.athas AT moore.edu.au>]

Isaac wrote:

> In my humble opinion there is no such thing in
> Hebrew as an abstraction marker. The ancient  
> Hebrews surely did not distinguish in their mind
> between the concrete and the abstract and had 
> therefore no use for such a special marker.

 

This illustrates one of the main difficulties I have with your theory,
Isaac. In my estimation, it seems to treat a human language (Hebrew)
as though it were not a *human* language, but a pure code. This would
make it completely unique amongst the languages of the world.

I also have serious difficulties with your assertion that the Hebrews
did not distinguish concrete from abstract. In my opinion, this makes
them cognitively more like computers than humans. The word 'surely' in
the extract above just seems so out of place to me.

I am just simply not convinced by your theory. It doesn't seem to fit
Hebrew or its NW Semitic context.

 

Best Regards, 

GEORGE ATHAS 
Moore Theological College (Sydney) 
1 King St, Newtown, NSW 2042, Australia 
Ph: (+61 2) 9577 9774