It's been a while since I've posted anything on Hebrew, but I thought I'd return to the subject in order to discuss an issue I've been thinking about lately regarding the syntax of Hebrew poetry (as opposed to narrative).
Now to begin, this entire question is built upon the acceptance of the theory that biblical Hebrew poetry and direct speech are syntactically comparable as opposed to narrative. Most obviously, word order in narrative is typically VSO (Verb-Subject-Object) whereas in speech and poetry it is typically SVO.
A second assumption driving this question is that VSO is the unmarked word order for Hebrew. All Semitic languages other than Akkadian and Amharic appear to be VSO languages. Akkadian and Amharic are SOV languages due to the interference of other languages (Sumerian and Cushitic languages respectively).
My question then is what drives this similarity? Typologically, poetic language is a high literary language with its own unique characteristics and grammatical rules including variation in syntax, rhythm, and vocabulary. Speech, of course, is normally highly informal, often "breaking" "formal" grammatical "rules." Thus, in most languages, poetic language is heavily differentiated from speech.
Why then is the most informal of discourses very similar to a highly formal discourse in biblical Hebrew? As near as I can tell (which is difficult given the nature of the evidence), this similarity is unique to Hebrew among the Semitic languages.
I've already discussed this at length with a friend of mine who does a lot of work in Hebrew poetry and linguistics, and she's given me her working idea. I also know that this issue has been discussed in a very few places (though I can't say I've actually read them all). However, I'd like to put this out there for broader discussion to hear your thoughts on the issue.
Also, be sure to read Peter Bekins's ongoing series of posts on the verb in BH poetry as a review of Alviero Niccacci's work on the BH verb.
28 June, 2009
poetic . . .
by c. jay crisostomo at 11:30 AM
labels: discussion, Hebrew, poetics, semitics, verb systems
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2 comments:
Jay, when I try to look for examples of direct speech on my own, I find that much of it either 1) involves complicating factors that call for special consideration, such as commands, entreaties, and questions; or 2) is itself so narrative in style that it tends toward the high-narrative VSO order (e.g., Gen 24:34ff).
Maybe I mean to be asking this: does the distinction between narrative and direct speech largely overlap that between “narrative of past events” and “future/present narrative and volitive speech”? I have in mind the series over at Balshanut that you reference in your post.
Brooke,
I can't say that I agree with your findings. True, if you search for instances of ויאמר, there do seem to be a large number of "commands, entreaties, and questions." But, for instance, a search for לאמר gives you direct speech without those contingencies and with consistent SVO order.
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