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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Blau's explanation for how ultimate stress became inHebrew

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  • From: "Arnaud Fournet" <fournet.arnaud AT wanadoo.fr>
  • To: "K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>, "Kevin Riley" <klriley AT alphalink.com.au>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Blau's explanation for how ultimate stress became inHebrew
  • Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 11:56:19 +0200

Karl:

That’s just my point! What does this theorized proto-language have to do
with the reality of what we can observe in Biblical Hebrew (Tanakh and a few
extent writings)? Yet time and again I read confident statements claiming
certain things for Biblical Hebrew language “because proto-Semitic had that
certain feature.” Did it? How does the statement’s author know? This is
especially relevant when I think the surviving observable evidence
contradicts those claims. There are many such claims I have seen over the
years.

***
These contradictions are indeed troublesome.
A.
***


Because we can be sure about only that which we can observe. All else is
speculation. And if it is based on models, models can be tweaked to say
whatever the modelmaker wants to say.

[...]

Irrelevant. This is not religion, it is linguistics.

Science is limited to the physical universe where observations can be made.
Linguistics is the scientific study of languages, which can be observed.
Dead languages (i.e. no longer spoken as a native tongue), like Biblical
Hebrew, can be studied only in so far as they have been written down, and we
can analyze those writings.
Karl W. Randolph.

***

That's an interesting point.

In a previous mail, you discussed the *grammatical* structure of a proverb.

How do you *observe* grammar and syntactical connections and relationships?

IMHO only words and sounds can be observed in the ultra-empirical approach that you seem to defend, grammar and semantics are mental operations, or what else are they?
How do you observe these mental operations?

Best

Arnaud Fournet





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