Dear David,
Some list-members seem to think that my method is extreme, only black and white, either this or that, but that is amisunderstanding; the concept "uncancellable semantics" is not fitting as a label for my method. I am not aware of any study of Semitic languages where a systematic quest regarding which parts of particular clauses convey which meanings has been the guiding principle, but this is common in linguistic studies. In other words, the difference between past reference (which can be pragmatic or semantic) and past tense (which is semantic; a gramamticalisation of location in time) is elementary for first grade students of linguistics, at least in Scandinavia.
For example, I cannot think that any linguist would have any objection to the redundancy/contradiction test made by Broman Olsen regarding plod and slowly; slowly is clearly an uncancelable part of plod. We cannot perform such tests with any word or any construction, but in some instances we can. The linguistic literature are full of tests by which a particular meaning is excluded or confirmed, but few list-members seem to be regular readers of the linguistic literature.
As mentioned, cancelable tests for Hebrew are few. But would any list-member object to the following test: Is negation an uncancelable part of L) and )L? ( The test of L) is rather clearcut; to perform the test with )L requires that we have a method to distinguish between this particle and the preposition )L.) But what about the following test: Is modality an uncancelable part of )L? Would such tests be extreme and unvarranted? My tests of the Hebrew conjugations are in principle exactly the same kind of tests; for example: is past tense an uncancelable part of WAYYIQTOL.
I do not think that you will find anything under the heading "uncancelable semantics," but if you want to know what other scholars have written in areas which parallels the methods of M Broman Olsen, which are similar to mine, I suggest that you start with her book "A Semantic and Pragmatic Model of Lexical and Grammatical Aspect"
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.