Time and the Biblical Hebrew Verb: The Expression of Tense, Aspect, and Modality in Biblical Hebrew

John A. Cook

Published by Penn State University Press 2012

Time and the Biblical Hebrew Verb

The Expression of Tense, Aspect, and Modality in Biblical Hebrew

John A. Cook

Volume 7 in the series Linguistic Studies in Ancient West Semitic

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781575066813

Overview
Contents

About this book

In this book John Cook interacts with the range of approaches to the perennial questions on the Biblical Hebrew verb in a fair-minded approach. Some of his answers may appear deceptively traditional, such as his perfective-imperfective identification of the qatal–yiqtol opposition. However, his approach is distinguished from the traditional approaches by its modern linguistic foundation. One distinguishing sign is his employment of the phrase “aspect prominent” to describe the Biblical Hebrew verbal system. As with almost any of the world’s verbal systems, this aspect-prominent system can express a wide range of aspectual, tensed, and modal meanings. In chap. 3, he argues that each of the forms can be semantically identified with a general meaning and that the expressions of specific aspectual, tensed, and modal meanings by each form are explicable with reference to its general meaning. After a decade of research and creative thinking, the author has come to frame his discussion not with the central question of “Tense or Aspect?” but with the question “What is the range of meaning for a given form, and what sort of contextual factors (syntagm, discourse, etc.) help us to understand this range in relation to a general meaning for the form?” In chap. 4 Cook addresses long-standing issues involving interaction between the semantics of verbal forms and their discourse pragmatic functions. He also proposes a theory of discourse modes for Biblical Hebrew. These discourse modes account for various temporal relationships that are found among successive clauses in Biblical Hebrew. Cook’s work addresses old questions with a fresh approach that is sure to provoke dialogue and new research.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Linguistic Studies in Ancient West Semitic Publicly Available Download PDF	ii
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xii
Abbreviations and Symbols Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
Chapter 1. A Theory of Tense, Aspect, and Modality
1.1. Pre-modern Treatments of Tense and Aspect Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1.2. The R-Point and Modern Tense Theory Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	4
1.3. A Primer on Aspect Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	18
1.4. The R-Point in Tense-Aspect Theory Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	28
1.5. The R-Point and Discourse Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	36
1.6. A Primer on Modality Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	42
1.7. A Model of Tense, Aspect, and Modality Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	55
1.8. Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	75
Chapter 2. Tense, Aspect, and Modality in Biblical Hebrew
2.1. A Primer on the Biblical Hebrew Verbal System Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	77
2.2. The Establishment of the “Standard” Theory of the Biblical Hebrew Verbal System Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	83
2.3. The Biblical Hebrew Verbal System in Historical and Comparative Perspective Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	93
2.4. Biblical Hebrew Verb Theory in the Last Half Century Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	120
2.5. Hebrew Verb Theory at the Beginning of the 21st Century Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	172
Chapter 3. The Semantics of the Biblical Hebrew Verbal System
3.1. Theoretical Considerations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	176
3.2. The Expression of Aspect in BH Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	191
3.3. The Expression of Modality in BH Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	233
3.4. The Expression of Temporality in BH Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	256
3.5. The TAM System of BH in Diachronic-Typological Perspective Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	268
Chapter 4. Semantics and Discourse Pragmatics of the Biblical Hebrew Verbal System
4.1. On Discourse-Pragmatic Approaches to BH Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	272
4.2. Some Elements of Discourse Structure Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	275
4.3. The Semantics of Temporality in BH Discourse Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	288
4.4. The Temporal and Modal Interpretation of Discourse Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	312
4.5. Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	337
Works Cited Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	339
Index of Authors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	375
Index of Scripture Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	380

Language: English
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Pages
- Main content: 400

eBook

Published: November 5, 2012
ISBN: 9781575066813