The Verbal System of Biblical Aramaic: A Distributional Approach (Studies in Biblical Literature) by Michael B. Shepherd
English | Dec. 4, 2007 | ISBN: 1433102013 | 178 Pages | PDF | 4.93 MB
English | Dec. 4, 2007 | ISBN: 1433102013 | 178 Pages | PDF | 4.93 MB
Grammarians have been unable to provide a sufficient explanation for the verbal system of Biblical Aramaic by means of the standard categories of tense and aspect. Michael B. Shepherd exposes this situation and suggests a way out of the present impasse through distributional analysis by proposing that Biblical Aramaic has a primary verbal form for narration and a primary verbal form for discourse. This simple yet comprehensive proposal holds true not only for Biblical Aramaic but also for extra-Biblical Aramaic texts. This volume is an indispensable resource for courses in Biblical Aramaic and for anyone who wishes to read and understand the Biblical Aramaic corpus.