Thesis (DLitt)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: One of the questions that have challenged scholars of BH for many years is whether the
language should be regarded as a tense, aspectual or modal language. In this thesis, I argue
that the lack and application of a metacategory for describing any language in general, and
BH in particular, has been the main problem of the debate. A sound methodology is needed in
order to be able to make an argument that can be tested empirically.
The present study presents such a viable methodological approach. Using Bhatian
parameters for tense, aspect and modal prominent languages, crosslinguistic metacategories
of tense, aspect and mood were developed. These were applied to BH and the outcome was
the hypothesis that BH is an aspect-prominent language.
After formulating the above-mentioned hypothesis for BH, a corpus had been selected
in the light of which the hypothesis was tested. The result demonstrates that BH consistently
maintains perfective and imperfective aspectual distinctions. It was found that even where
aspectual distinctions are extended to modal categories, the distinction in meanings between
the perfective and the imperfective forms of the BH verb are not neutralised.
From these observations, it has been concluded that there is the need to revisit the
semantics of Proto Semitic. A model like the one used in this study could be replicated in
the study of Proto Semitic. Such a revisit, it is hypothesised, may give fresh insights into the
verbal system of Proto Semitic in general and BH in particular / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Een van die vrae wat reeds vir baie jare vir kenners van Byblese Hebreeus (=BH) In uitdaging
is, is of die taal 'n tempustaal, 'n aspektuele taal of 'n modale taal is. In hierdie tesis voer ek
aan dat die gebrek aan die toepassing van 'n metakategorie vir die beskrywing van tale in die
algemeen, en BH in die besonder, die hoof probleem in die debat is. 'n Deeglike begronde
metodologie is nodig om 'n hipotese daar te stel wat empiries getoets kan word.
Hierdie studie wil so 'n metodologie formuleer. Deur gebruik te maak van Bhat se
parameters vir tale waarvan die tempus, aspek en modaliteit prominent is, is kruislinguistiese
metakategorieë vir tempus, aspek en modaliteit ontwikkel. Hierdie metakategorieë is op BH
toegepas en die resultaat daarvan was die hipotese dat BH 'n aspek-prominente taal is.
Nadat die bogenoemde hipotese vir BH geformuleer is, is 'n korpus geselekteer in die
lig waarvan hierdie hipotese getoets kon word. Die resultaat demonstreer dat BH konsekwent
die perfektiewe en imperfektiewe aspektuele onderskeid handhaaf. Daar is gevind dat selfs
wanneer aspektuele onderskeidings uitgebrei is na modale kategorieë, die onderskeid tussen
die perfektiewe en die imperfektiewe vorme van die BH werkwoord nie geneutraliseer word
me.
Vanuit hierdie waarnemings is tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat dit nodig is om weer
te gaan kyk na die semantiek van Proto-Semities. 'n Model soos die een wat in hierdie studie
gebruik is, kan ook in die studie van Proto-Semities bebruik word. Die hipotese is dat so 'n
hernude ondersoek nuwe insigte kan gee in die werkwoordsisteem van Proto-Semities in die
algemeen en BH in die besonder.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53773 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Moomo, David O. |
| Contributors | Van der Merwe, C. H. J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Ancient Studies. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 314 pages : illustrations |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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