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Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
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From
: George F Somsel <gfsomsel AT juno.com>
To
: kwrandolph AT email.com
Cc
: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject
: Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
Date
: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 11:42:35 -0400
On Sat, 03 Sep 2005 09:12:18 -0500 "Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>
writes:
>
>
----- Original Message -----
>
From: "Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>
>
>
>
> On Thursday 01 September 2005 17:35, Peter Kirk wrote:
>
> > On 01/09/2005 22:42, Bill Rea wrote:
>
>
> >
>
> > >... Several participants have run down the current
>
> > >system of peer-reviewed journals, calling them things like
>
``incestuous''.
>
> > >Such criticisms are just hot air. The shear volume of research
>
output
>
> > >requires some mechanism to sift the wheat from the chaff.
>
>
>From those within the publish or perish racket,
>
I have heard worse.
>
>
The problem is not the system, but the people
>
in the system. They bring their own beliefs and
>
prejudices to their gate keeping, sometimes
>
keeping out valuable research while allowing in
>
some mediocre at best work. The further this
>
veers from hard sciences like physics and
>
chemistry, the more likely to occur.
>
>
>
> > In Karl's
>
> > >case he has said that he had a chance to do a Ph.D. but is glad
>
that
>
> > >he didn't. He doesn't appear to work at any place which
>
supports
>
> > >research into the Hebrew language. Those are the choices he
>
made, ...
>
> >
>
> > I don't know much about Karl's personal circumstances, but there
>
may be
>
> > compelling reasons which we don't know about why he has no
>
choice about
>
> > not working at such a place. One very probable one is that he
>
probably
>
> > needs to earn a living, and paid positions in Hebrew research
>
are rather
>
> > few. In other words, this may not be his choice at all.
>
> >
>
If I had had my choice, I would have gotten the
>
PhD. But it was not to be. I would have liked
>
to be a professor like my father and
>
grandfather, but without a PhD that is pretty
>
much out of the question.
>
>
On the other hand, there are certain advantages
>
to being largely self taught. One is that I am
>
not impressed by anyone else. I don't know the
>
names of famous researchers so I am not in awe
>
of them. As far as I am concerned, their
>
theories are no better than anyone else's.
>
Secondly, by having studied only Biblical
>
Hebrew excepting enough Aramaic to read the
>
Aramaic portions of Daniel, Ezra and the verse
>
in Jeremiah, I now have a feel as to how the
>
language works. Often I can't give detailed
>
grammatical rules, but I know how the language
>
acts. Had I had the opportunity to study for
>
the PhD, I was looking forward to studying
>
Aramaic, Ugaritic, Mishnaic and even modern
>
Hebrew, but I now realize that my "feel" for
>
the language would have been corrupted by the
>
other similar languages.
>
>
For example, my feel for English, my mother
>
tongue, has been corrupted by German, my German
>
by Norwegian, my Norwegian by .... Because they
>
have similar grammar, similar vocabulary, even
>
similar expressions, I sometimes find myself
>
making constructs from one language in another
>
where it is not appropriate. But my Cantonese,
>
other than making new lexemes by combining old
>
ones, doesn't resemble any of them, therefore
>
the propensity to bring in constructs from
>
other languages is much, much reduced. While
>
even my understanding of koiné Greek is
>
influenced by other indo-european languages,
>
that is not true of Biblical Hebrew.
>
>
To give a practical example, when I looked at
>
the "Joash stone" now known as a forgery, I
>
noticed several things that just didn't "feel
>
right". But the "experts", unnamed in the news
>
articles I read, didn't notice any of them.
>
Instead the published reports mentioned that
>
they focused on the use of LBDQ near the bottom
>
of the stone, saying that it stuck out like a
>
sore thumb as a modern usage. I was puzzled as
>
that was one that I missed, as it is so used in
>
2 Chronicles 34:10 and possibly also in 2 Kings
>
12:8 (depending on how one points it). I now
>
conclude that my disappointment at not being
>
able to get a PhD has an upside as well.
>
>
I suspect that the research that I have done in
>
Biblical Hebrew vocabulary is pretty much as
>
much as had I gotten a PhD.
>
_____________
In other words, the grapes were probably sour anyway.
george
gfsomsel
___________
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
Karl Randolph, 09/03/2005
[b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
Jim West, 09/03/2005
<Possible follow-up(s)>
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
George F Somsel, 09/03/2005
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
Karl Randolph, 09/03/2005
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
Peter Kirk, 09/03/2005
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
Karl Randolph, 09/03/2005
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not
,
Rob Barrett, 09/03/2005
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
Jim West, 09/03/2005
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
Sujata, 09/03/2005
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
George F Somsel, 09/03/2005
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
Read, James C, 09/04/2005
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
Yitzhak Sapir, 09/04/2005
Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
,
Karl Randolph, 09/04/2005
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