Biblical Hebrew Forum

[dwashbur AT nyx.net]

There is no real consensus.  Basically, there  are about as many theories as 
there are 
theorists to make them.  My own view, set out in my 1994 Hebrew Studies 
article 
"Chomsky's Separation of Syntax and Semantics" is that it's  not 
"consecutive" at all, but is 
the  simple declarative clause.  Galia Hatav accepts my view of the prefix 
but still sees the 
form encoding sequence of some kind.  Our own Rolf believes there is no such 
thing as a 
separate wayyiqtol.  And so it goes.  The question as I see it involves 
explanatory 
adequacy: is there a theory that can explain how this form can be the common 
narrative 
form and yet begin a section, pericope, or even an entire book?  For an 
elementary class, I 
would take a passing glance at all the theories and then just  teach the form 
as a basic 
narrative.

On 10 Aug 2010 at 15:04, John M. Linebarger wrote:

> I am preparing to teach a year of Elementary Biblical Hebrew through
> a couple of local churches, using the second edition of Basics of
> Biblical Hebrew by Pratico and Van Pelt.  Chapter 17 deals covers
> the Waw Consecutive, and it is taught as if it were a Waw Conversive
> (as a useful paedogogical device, not as a description of the
> dynamics of the underlying phenomenon).
> 
> I have two questions for the group.  First, is there an emerging
> scholarly consensus about the so-called Waw Consecutive?  I've read
> something about the Waw Consecutive being the remnant of a preterite
> conjugation (although that doesn't seem to explain the "waw +
> perfect = future tense" phenomenon).  Second, is there an emerging
> paedogogy for how to teach the Waw Consecutive to first year
> students?
> 
> Recommendations of seminal papers that present the emerging
> scholarly consensus (if one exists), and examples of a good
> paedogogical approach to teaching the Waw Consecutive, would be
> greatly appreciated.  I recall the Waw Conversive being one of the
> mind warps of first year Hebrew, and I'd like present the material
> in such a way that not only is it easily assimilated, it is also
> linguistically accurate.
> 
> Thanks!  I feel free to ask a Biblical Hebrew question again!
> 
> John M. Linebarger, PhD (Computer Science)
> Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Dave Washburn

http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur