Biblical Hebrew Forum

[David Kummerow <farmerjoeblo AT hotmail.com>]

"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."
> -Ishaq Ibn Ibrahim 767-850 CE.
>
> "If you don't behave as you believe, you will end by believing as you
> behave."
> -Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
>
> "The difference between the intelligent man and the simpleton is not the
> correctness of their decisions, but rather the cunning sinner can more
> skillfully defend and justify his iniquity."
> - Rabbi Tovia Singer