Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Arnaud Fournet" <fournet.arnaud AT wanadoo.fr>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Isaac Fried" <if AT math.bu.edu>
To: "Arnaud Fournet" <fournet.arnaud AT wanadoo.fr>
Cc: "Pere Porta" <pporta7 AT gmail.com>; "Hebrew List" 
<b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2010 5:11 PM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Vav Nun Suffix



1. "vowel scheme" means nothing more than a vowel scheme. Every
scheme is a scheme.
***
I did not claim anything different.
A.
***


2. So what is the meaning of the root AB? Father?
***
It obviously means what it means: "father".
I cannot see why this situation should become an issue.
A.
***


The fat one? The ba-ba of his baby talk? No Hebrew root can mean 'father'.
***
Ah?
And for what reason?
I suppose most languages if not all have words for mother and father.
A.
***


Out of the
question. And, to my knowledge, there are no onomatopoeic words in
Hebrew.
***
Maybe
but I doubt it,
there are always some words with phonosymbolic features.
I doubt Hebrew is an exception.
A.
***


3. Do you agree with me that SHAMARTA =  SHAMAR-TA ( שמרת ), 'you
have guarded', is the fusion of SHAMAR + ATAH ( שמר + אתה ), and
that SHAMARNU = SHAMAR-NU (שמרנו ), 'we have guarded', is the
fusion of SHAMAR + ANU ( שמר + אנו )?
***
I would not exactly describe this as a fusion as the suffixation of -ta 
and -nu is transparently connected with atah and anu.
This is a rather commonplace case of suffixation.
A.
***



3. The root CB means 'large'. We have from it the animal names CAB
( צב ), 'turtle'?, CBIY ( צבי = צב-היא ), 'deer', and CABUA
( צבוע = צב-הוא-ע ), 'hyaena'? Also, CABA ( צבא ), 'army,
a large collection of items', and CABEH ( צבה = צב-היא ),
'inflated', as in Nu. 5:21, where the last pronoun is for the thing
(belly) inflated.
***
I don't buy hide-and-seek with glottal stop and pharyngeals.

Arnaud Fournet