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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Verb Stems Confusion

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  • From: David Kummerow <farmerjoeblo AT hotmail.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Verb Stems Confusion
  • Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:52:16 +1100


"Intensive" may be taken as pre-theoretical terminology for what may be also labelled "verbal plurality".

Qal ShBR = "he broke" but Piel ShBR = "he smashed into pieces
Qal QBR = "he buried" but Piel QBR = "he buried many"
Qal GD` = "he cut off" but Piel GD` = "he cut into many pieces"
Qal Sh'L = "he asked" but Piel Sh'L = "he begged"
Qal LQT = "he gathered something together" but Piel LQT = "he gathered something together (from may places, over and over)

See:
Doron, Edit. 2003. “Transitivity Alternations in the Semitic Template System.” Pages 127-149 in Research in Afroasiatic Grammar II: Selected Papers from the Fifth Conference on Afroasiatic Languages, Paris, 2000. Edited by Jacqueline Lecarme. Amsterdam Studies in the Theory and History of Linguistic Science 241. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Fehri, Abdelkader Fassi. 2003. “Verbal Plurality, Transitivity, and Causativity.” Pages 151-185 in Research in Afroasiatic Grammar II: Selected Papers from the Fifth Conference on Afroasiatic Languages, Paris, 2000. Edited by Jacqueline Lecarme. Amsterdam Studies in the Theory and History of Linguistic Science 241. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Greenberg, Joseph H. 1991. “The Semitic ‘Intensive’ as Verbal Plurality.” Pages 577-587 in Semitic Studies in Honor of Wolf Leslau: On the Occasion of His Eighty-Fifth Birthday, November 14th, 1991. 2 vols. Edited by Alan S. Kaye. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.

Kaufman, Stephen A. 1996. “Semitics: Directions and Re-Directions.” Pages 273-282 in The Study of the Ancient Near East in the Twenty-First Century: The William Foxwell Albright Conference. Edited by Jerrold S. Cooper and Glenn M. Schwartz. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.


Regarding the Niphal, it is better thought of as middle-passive. See:
Boyd, Steven W. 1993. “A Synchronic Analysis of the Medio-Passive-Reflexive in Biblical Hebrew.” PhD diss., Hebrew Union College.


Regarding the Hithpael, it is better thought of as reflexive-middle. See:
Arnold, Mark A. 2005. “Categorization of the Hithpa‘ēl of Classical Hebrew.” PhD diss., Harvard University.

Regards,
David Kummerow.



Jason:
I am fully aware that not all words appear in all stems. So the
assumption that I'm wanting to put any root into any stem is false.
Again, I just want to know what these forms are, and how to handle them
when I come across them. So if I see a word in stem X, I want to know
how the stem is dictating the translation. I'm not trying to build words
- just take them apart.

Lloyd and George
I want to thank you two VERY much for helping me to understand this stuff!!!

So would the following chart be correct:
Qal: Active, Simple - "Bob broke it"
Nifal/Qal Passive: Passive Simple - "Bob was broken"
Piel/Polel/Poel/Palel/Pilpel/Pealal: Active, Intensive - "Bob REALLY
broke it"
Pual/Polal/Poal/Pulal: Passive, Intensive - "Bob was REALLY broken"
Hifil/Tifil: Active, Causative - "Bob caused it to break"
Hofal/Hotpaal: Passive, Causative - "Bob caused it to be broken"
Hitpael/Hitpalpel/Hishtafel: Reflexive - "Bob caused himself broken"

Am I right so far?

I have just three items I need clarified:
Pilel: According to George its a hybrid, according to Lloyd it is the
same as Piel.
Polpal: According to George its the same as Piel, according to Lloyd it
is the same as Pual.
Nitpael: According to George its "intensive passive (half nifal, half
piel)". Wouldn't that make it the same as Pual?


Thanks again for the help!!!


B"H
John

"He who makes a mistake is still our friend; he who adds to or shortens
a melody is still our friend; but he who violates a rhythm unawares can
no longer be our friend."
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