Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Nir cohen - Prof. Mat." <nir AT ccet.ufrn.br>]

karl,

>>> The adjusting of the TAM parameters is a slippery slope to misunderstanding. Would it not be better to add new categories to TAM where TAM doesn’t fit, than to reposition TAM to fit the language?

well, you have the usual babel as in any other human endeavour. but the task is
enormous: you want to find a model which fits all languages at all times. moreover,
a model which predicts the dynamic plasticity of languages. the analogue in physics
(the unified model) has proven equally unattainable for over 50 years now.
however, this does not mean that a physicist cannot predict the orbit of a particular
star or nebula. when doing so, he/she must choose the right framework and
parameters: a simplified sub-model fit for the case in hand.

the same occurs here: when studying a particular language, you have to discover the right framework and parameters, and the "simplified model" which makes the language click.

to do this, however, one needs first to study the entire babel!

>>> It’s my impression (correct me if I’m wrong) that part of the reason that there’s so much disagreement among BH scholars is because each one is making his own model, but using common terminology that ends up confusing people.

i tend to agree; but clearly if there were a simple elegant solution, somebody would
have pointed it out by now. 

nir cohen