Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Article by Andrew Bowling

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Arnaud Fournet" <fournet.arnaud AT wanadoo.fr>
  • To: "K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>, "Bryant J. Williams III" <bjwvmw AT com-pair.net>
  • Cc: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Article by Andrew Bowling
  • Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:48:00 +0100


From: "K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>

I did study some linguistics many years ago, but I have forgotten most of
the terminology since then.

The terminology was developed to describe European languages and Biblical
Hebrew is not a European language. Those linguists who believe that the
terminology refers to all aspects of languages, and refuse or are unable to
think outside the box (limits of the terminology), may not recognize how
Biblical Hebrew verbal usage differs from what is described in the
terminology. I wonder how many other aspects of the language are not
recognized because of the terminology?

I read Tanakh, not as a linguist, but as an act of worship, to find out what
God has to say to mankind. Hence I read for meaning, not as an exercise in
developing theoretical models of the language. I am not a member of any
established school of linguistics. I wrote my own dictionary because the
dictionaries I bought do not accurately describe what I read. And I long ago
stopped looking at the grammars for the same reason.

Now comes the hard question, how to explain what I observe?

Karl W. Randolph.

***

There is a kind of hybris in thinking that a pluri-millenary tradition is incorrect and thoroughly inadequate and that you, alone, have the right approach.
Actually the answer may be harder to hear than the question.

Arnaud Fournet






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page