Biblical Hebrew Forum

[fred burlingame <tensorpath AT gmail.com>]

i do not believe that most college educated people in america today can pick
up the book of isaiah or ezekiel (in english language), read it, and
understand its multiple layer metaphors .... much less hear it read
once, and understand it. ditto for the song of moses in deuteronomy.

What about people who have no formal education such 882 b.c., judah? Who
have never read a written book or scroll? Even less so the comprehension of
an elevated expression of the language such as isaiah.

people speak and write differently. you are projecting your years of
studying written hebrew onto the goat herder of 882 b.c., judah who never
read a written book.

the pomegranate seller on the street does not speak in the language of the
song of moses.

regards,

fred burlingame




On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 8:35 PM, Paul Zellmer <pzellmer AT sc.rr.com> wrote:

>  On what source(s) do you base your statements concerning the level of
> language skills (note, this is different from literacy)?  So far, in all
> your discussions, you have yet to give any.  Because, in my experience, most
> people would have a higher language skill in their native language than
> David Kolinsky demonstrated in his description.  This is because Hebrew is
> not his native language.  They would have automatically understood the
> distinctions without having to think through the base meaning of the words
> and then apply it to the context.  And the language of Deuteronomy is not
> complicated.  In fact, it is rather straight forward.  And the vocabulary is
> neither unique nor technical.
>
>
>
> As for the last paragraph, the connection is not evident to me.  What is
> the impact on determining the definition of words and significance of syntax
> if we knew whether or not the “average” citizen at the time could understand
> the text?  This seems to be of importance to you, and I’m trying to figure
> out if I am missing some aspect of my Hebrew study that will help me better
> understand the text that I have been studying for years.  So far, I see no
> significance at all.
>
>
>
> Paul Zellmer
>
>
>
> *From:* fred burlingame [mailto:tensorpath AT gmail.com]
> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 05, 2011 6:44 PM
> *To:* Paul Zellmer
> *Cc:* B-Hebrew
> *Subject:* Re: [b-hebrew] guess work
>
>
>
> I am saying that language comprehension does not come in a fixed container
> or packet, but rather exists on a continuum. Some people have first grade
> language skill; some people have high school language skill; and some people
> enjoy graduate school language skill.
>
>
>
> The deuteronomic legal code ("Code") can be consumed at different levels of
> language skill, with corresponding greater or lesser degrees of
> comprehension.
>
>
>
> And I am saying, as I said before, that most consumers of the Code, then
> and now, enjoy not the level of language skill that david possesses; or that
> is possessed by the Code. Hence, the job of priest/lawyer includes boosting
> the consumer level of comprehension for particular laws.
>
> I also am given to understand that the levitical priests were constituted
> as a dedicated profession, to be supported by the state "tax" revenue.
>
>
>
> That the above relates the purposes of this forum is self evident.
>