Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Rolf:

On Sat, Feb 5, 2011 at 1:27 AM, Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no> wrote:

>
> Nir started this thread by denying that aspect is a part of the verbal
> system of Classical Hebrew. But he does not want to tell us the definition
> of what he rejects.


Now I am not a professional linguist and Randall often talks in terminology
that I never heard of in linguistics classes that I attended, but I would
have to agree with Nir that Biblical Hebrew does not grammaticalize for any
definition of aspect that I know of. At least not in the different
conjugations of yiqtol verses qatal.

The question of duration is a red herring, because all action, no matter how
brief, has duration. There are too many qatals that refer to action to make
duration a factor.

Do other definitions of aspect fit the grammaticalization that we see?


>  So, I ask you: What is the definition of the perfective aspect and the
> imperfective aspect?  If the perfective definition is "complete/whole," as
> your article seems to suggest, can you please elucidate this definition.
>

Unless Randall has an idiosyncratic definition of completed/incomplete, this
too does not fit.

Genesis 1:3 “and there was light (light came into existence)” yiqtol. Unless
one subscribes to the theological position that God is continuously creating
light, this is a one-time, finished event. This is a completed action, yet
yiqtol.

Exodus 3:7 “I surely see the humiliation of my people in Egypt and I hear
their outcry because of those who treat them harshly and I know their pain.”
three qatals referring to incomplete, durative, continuing action at the
time the statement was made.

There are many, many more similar examples throughout Tanakh, which is why I
understand that qatal/yiqtol do not grammaticalize for aspect either.


> Best regards,
>
> Rolf Furuli
>
>
> I would not be surprised if a graduate student were to do the same
statistical analysis as you did for your dissertation, but instead of
focusing on tense as you did, focus on aspect, that he would find that
aspect is not grammaticalized just as tense is not grammaticalized.

Karl W. Randolph.