Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Yigal,

I am stunned. Does my right to express "very unconventional ideas  
about the Hebrew language" need be "consistently defended" by the  
moderators? Is b-Hebrew a list for only "conventional", or moderately  
unconventional, ideas about the the Hebrew language?
I did not ridicule someone's words, I have just repeated someone's  
words verbatim. I really thought this someone means what he says. It  
was, and still is, obvious to me that this is how he typifies the  
"energic nun". If the distinguished member of this list thinks that  
his choice of words was wrong [unfortunate?], then he can re-explain  
himself.
It is really not clear to me how the "choice of words" is distinct  
from the "scholarly nature of the debate" and the "contending with  
the arguments themselves".
I don't think it is "impossible to carry on a discussion with me."  
Difficult maybe, but not impossible. A scholarly discussion need not  
be easy, and one should go through it calmly and with fortitude. A  
scholarly interchange is decidedly not an ego trip. If you think my  
"unconventional ideas about the Hebrew language" are wrong, then  
prove them so to me and I will agree with you right away.
On the other hand, you may be right that I should not enter into any  
debate with some members of this list.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Dec 2, 2007, at 11:12 PM, Yigal Levin wrote:

> Dear Isaac,
>
> While your right to argue your very unconventional ideas about the  
> Hebrew
> language on this list has been consistently defended by the  
> moderators,
> remarks of yours like those below do not add to the scholarly  
> nature of the
> debate. Picking out and ridiculing a previous poster's choice of  
> words,
> rather than contending with the arguments themselves, simply makes it
> impossible to carry on a discussion with you. If you do wish to  
> keep posting
> on this list, please address the issues at hand.
>
> Yigal Levin
>
> co-moderator
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Isaac Fried" <if AT math.bu.edu>
> To: "b-hebrew Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Cc: "b-hebrew Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 5:44 AM
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Study on energic nun ter
>
>
> > 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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> >
> >
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