Topic: Discourse Analysis, at its current state of development, seems to
falter when applied to poetry.
I have been encouraged by Longacre (*Joseph*) and Dawson (*Text-Linguistics
and BH*) who proposed "clines" that explain how various syntactical
structures are used in various genres of BH literature. It was helpful to
see things laid out in a manner that could be grasped. I understand,
however, that such charts are too simplistic to encompass a language.
This inadequacy has become quite evident when approaching some poetry. Must
the findings of DA for prose be thrown out? What can be salvaged? How must
it evolve? Would Niccacci and Talstra argue that their systems handle
poetry?
As a test case, let's try to make sense of the use of verb tense and
clause-initial syntax in the first 7 verses of Ps 77. I have wrestled with
verses 2 (English v. 1) and 7 (English 6) a little.
In v. 2, perhaps the first verb is habitual yiqtol ("I cry out; I am crying
out; I have been crying out"), and the second is weqatal indicating
intended result ("in order that He will hear me"). The verbless clauses may
imply a habitual yiqtol verb ("I *raise* my voice").
In v. 7 I wonder if the two yiqtols are again past habitual: "I used to
remember my song in the night; I used to meditate with my heart." The
wayyiqtol, then, is the next event (temporally or logically consequent) in
the past: "Then my spirit inquired:"
Would anybody else like to weigh in on DA in BH poetry? Is anybody doing
serious work in this area?
Ps 77:2 *With my voice to the Lord, I WANT TO CRY [volitive weyiqtol], / with my voice to the Lord, AND [I hope] HE WILL LISTEN [non-volitive weqatal] to me.
Ps 77:4 *I WANT TO REMEMBER [volitive first-place-in-the-sentence yiqtol] God AND I WANT TO MOAN (or, EVEN UNTIL MOANING) [volitive weyiqtol], / I WANT TO MEDITATE [volitive yiqtol] AND MY SOUL WANTS TO FAIL (or, EVEN UNTIL MY SOUL FAINTS) [volitive weyiqtol]. -- See Ps 55:18 for a similar phrase.
Ps 77:12 *I WANT TO LET (people) REMEMBER (ketiv; or, I WANT TO REMEMBER, qere) [voltive yiqtol] the deeds of the Lord, / yea, I WANT TO REMEMBER [volitive yitol = cohortative] from old your wonders.
Ps 77:13 *Thus I WILL REFLECT [non-volitive yiqtol] on all your work, / and on your deeds WILL I MEDITATE [non volitive x-yiqtol, despite the cohortative form].
Ps 77: 6 *I RECOUNTED [qatal = past] the days of old, / the years long past.
Ps 77: 7 *I WANT TO REMEMBER [volitive yiqtol = future] my song in the night, / with my heart WANT I TO MEDITATE [x-yiqtol = future] AND my soul SEARCHED [wayyiqtol = past]:
Ps 77:8 *WILL the Lord REJECT [x-yiqtol = future] forever / AND WILL HE NEVER AGAIN [lo' + yiqtol = future] be favorable?
Ps 77:9 *HAS his steadfast love CEASED [interrogative qatal = past] for ever, / HAS (His) promise ENDED [qatal = past] for all time?*
Ps 77:17 *The waters saw [qatal] you, o God, / the waters saw [qatal] you--(while they) were convulsed [yiqtol], / even the deep was trembling,* etc.
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