Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

The "energic nun is a morpheme which is gradually dying out in BH."  
Is this what the "energic nun" is, a dying nun? Or is the slow death  
only incidental to its nature?

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Dec 2, 2007, at 8:07 PM, David Kummerow wrote:

> > Pere,
> >
> > Do you really believe that the ancient Hebrews had something that we
> > are compelled to fancifully call today "energic nun"?
>
> Yes -- but I'd drop the words "are compelled to fancifully".
>
>
> > You are saying
> > that this nun is inserted.
>
> Don't know what you mean by "inserted". If you mean something like  
> that
> energic nun is a morpheme which is gradually dying out in BH and it is
> consequently somewhat "optional", then yes, it is inserted.
>
> > But is it not the reverse, namely, that  this
> > nun was there in the first place and then over time dropped out   
> > of the
> > form?
>
> Yes, the morpheme was there and was gradually dying out.
>
> Should we then mark and call the vacated spot "the  dropped
> > energic nun fault line", or something else to this effect?
>
> No, of course not.
>
> > Isaac Fried, Boston University
>
> Regards,
> David Kummerow.
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