423
As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had
just left the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in
from his hunting. Pc-vqw3msXa Pp-Pr vpp3ms np
Pp-vpc Po-np Pc-vqw3msXa Pd vqa vqp3ms np Pp-Pp ncbpc np
ncmscX3ms Pc-np ncmscX3ms vqp3ms Pp-ncmscX3ms
4 ,
4 8 ; J
F
Gen 27:30
9.4 Summary of the Temporal Uses of
After going through the data again and again, one of the main questions that emerges is what all of this has to do with
. Is it really about or is it about the
temporal expressions? In a context-sensitive analytical model, it is about both The function of the temporal expressions has to be explored and explained in order to
understand the role of which involves knowing:
1
WHAT
it is 2
WHERE
it occurs 3
WHY
it occurs in the places it does 4
HOW
it affects the temporal clauses with which it occurs These and other issues of the use of
will be discussed in the next chapter. One of the other questions that arises concerning
has to do with the fact that many temporal expressions can occur without it.
is not replaced by some other linguistic item; it is absent. The inevitable question is how the role and function of the
temporal expression differs when is either present or absent.
424
CHAPTER 10
EXPLORING THE DISCOURSE-PRAGMATIC
USES OF
10.1 Introduction
The preceding categorization of ’s verbal and temporal uses is the foundation
for exploring the discourse-pragmatic uses of . This moves the analysis to another
dimension. The analysis of
in chapters eight and nine required excluding certain more global considerations that need to be dealt with after the more basic syntactic patterns and
uses are clearly established. Within the analytical perspective that is proposed and implemented here, the analysis of
as an isolatable linguistic item is carried out with constant awareness of the fact that full analysis eventually requires consideration of the
whole system of which it is a part. This chapter now explores other dimensions of the uses and functions of
. Before proceeding with the topic of this chapter, a brief restatement of the
significance of understanding the function of is in order. With regard to the verbal
uses, it is important to see the close syntactic connection it has as main verb in the clauses
425 where it occurs.
’s functions as a
WAYYIQTOL
are also important to keep in mind in order to properly read it within its various contexts. Specifically with reference to its use
in temporal clauses, represents a class of linguistic item that, if translated literally,
gives essentially no indication of why it is in the Hebrew text and what its function is. This gives the impression that it can be left untranslated with seemingly little loss in the
new translation. Another example of this type of item would be
. This comparison, however, is not meant to imply that
and perform similar linguistic functions. The
comparison is rather of the translation strategy for these items. If it is merely translated directly as behold or even sometimes left untranslated, the end result for the reader of the
translation is essentially the same. Whether it is translated as behold or not represented in the text, the reader is given very little help in understanding why
is in the text. One of the most basic underlying principles of the analysis presented in this study,
however, is that linguistic items like and
are not just in the text with no purpose. Research into the function of these linguistic items has the objective of probing the effect
they have on the understanding of the text. If analysis can demonstrate that these linguistic items do indeed affect the way in which the text is understood, then the
implications for translation must be considered. As a matter of principle, then, an item like
is in the text because it has a function to peform there; consequently, translation must take it into account.
426 The categorization of the verbal and temporal occurrences of
has made it extremely clear that there are definite syntactic differences between these two major uses.
In the verbal uses, , as the main verb of the clause, is obligatory, unless as mentioned
in Psa 76:3 listed in 8.2.1.8.3, there is elision of the verb. Chapter nine lists the temporal uses of
, but there are many instances of the same or similar temporal expressions without
. In simple terms, must be there when it is the nuclear verb,
but it is not a required part of every temporal expression in every instance. Full analysis of the role of
in temporal expressions ultimately must consider the structure, context, and function of temporal expressions without
. At numerous points throughout the preceding chapters, the promise was made to
deal with issues and questions regarding the uses and functions of here in this
chapter. These issues, as well as the questions raised by the claims in the literature review 4.1.5, are summarized in the following points:
1 The narrative and discourse-pragmatic functions of 2 The possible role of
in indicating tense 3 The implications for temporal clauses that do not include
4 The impact of the concept of Reference Time on the analysis of 5 The benefits of a cognitive analysis of
Ultimately, however, this study is not just about —it is a study of how the
temporal structuring of Hebrew text is understood and the role plays in that
427 important aspect of narrative. Full analysis of the temporal organization of the biblical
Hebrew text is, however, beyond the scope of the current study.
10.2 Pertinent Theoretical Concepts
