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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] How does biblical Hebrew describe a past event?

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  • From: David Kummerow <farmerjoeblo AT hotmail.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] How does biblical Hebrew describe a past event?
  • Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:26:00 +1000



RF:

On p. 33 of my dissertation we read: "This means
that features of the verbal system that cannot be
changed or cancelled represent "semantic
meaning," while features that can be changed or
cancelled, represent "conversational pragmatic
implicature".

This shows that I do not claim that semantic
meaning "exists wholesale across language".
And it is not true that the concept is never
defended! On p. 33 I used the "plod"-example,
and in the following pages I discussed the
uncancellable characteristics of dynamicity,
durativity, and telicity in contrast with the
cancellable characteristics of statitivy and
punctiliarity. The discussion was illustrated by
examples.


Hi Rolf,

Rolf, I presented linguistic literature in my review that reveals that the so-called uncancellable characteristics can in fact be cancelled. Now, you can keep on stating that such characteristics are uncancellable, but that is just your opinion. Others who do not hold to a principal of uncancellability in relation to these procedural traits need not be convinced about your extrapolation to tense and aspect. For that is indeed what it is: you have not demonstrated that uncancellablity of meaning is a proper linguistic concept to bring to the analysis of tense and aspect, you extrapolate such from procedural traits etc. This is what I meant by "wholesale". But like I've said, your analysis of procedural traits is open to challenge as well as the "plod" example as well as the "have" example you presented on this list.

All that I'm saying is that the entirely rigid application of your basic principals will not be sensitive enough to the intricacies of language. And the sticking point is when we actually get down to specific examples from the text. Like I've maintained the last few years, I simply cannot see how wayyomer in every occurrence can be conceptualised imperfectively. I just can't. And you've never dealt with such an example like this to convince those of us who cannot see as you see.

Regards,
David Kummerow.




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