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  • From: "Cosmos" <cosmos AT intergate.com>
  • To: "List" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] A question from a new subscriber to the list:
  • Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:18:33 -0500

Greetings.

I am new to the list. I need to point out that I am not an academic - my
access to the literature is limited to what shows up on the web - and my
knowledge of Hebrew is extremely limited. I ask, therefore, that you keep my
inexperience in mind as you reply. Fortunately, my questions are of a general
nature, and not dependent upon the finer points of grammar.
I will open with a question that is fundamental to one part of my personal
research. I have identified some possible answers, but I consider them far
from authoritative. So I will await whatever input you may have.

I am aware that different lexicons/ dictionaries list some definitions with a
single word (root), and others list multiple, identical, words and split the
definitions between them. Bara (create) is the example I have in mind.
(Please note that I do not wish to debate bara. Besides, I view myself as a
mouse among elephants. I do not wish to be trampled!) My question concerns
the present state of scholarship as it relates to the following:

How does one determine whether a word should be listed as a homograph? What
is the process? Is the choice made from the grammar, context, or both. Are
there other considerations? Is it an art? Or, is it a science? Also, I am
interested in knowing if there is only one answer, or if different scholars
might answer the question differently.

If there is some source that a dilettante such as I might access, and make
sense of, please note it.

Your responses would be deeply appreciated.

Thank you,
Steve Teague




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