431
10.3 Evaluating the Verbal Uses of
Establishing the syntactic role of in the clauses where it occurs is
fundamental to its analysis, but the question now is whether some occurrences have another function that goes beyond the clauses in which they occur. The
multifunctionality of linguistic items is not surprising, but rather is an expected part of their use in speech. So, for
to function as an integral part of the clause and have an additional role at a more global level is not surprising.
The question that is always lurking in the background is whether the occurrence that seems to be a “mere” verb may in fact be functioning on another level as well. Is the
occurrence of nothing more than a simple
WAYYIQTOL
form of or is there some
narrative function that is being carried out at the same time? Careful examination of the syntactic environment of the occurrences of
shows, first of all, that many occurrences of
are more syntactically integrated in the surrounding clause structure than has often been assumed to be the case. Secondly, systematic examination of each
type of occurrence reveals that it is possible to arrive at a principled basis for not only interpreting occurrences of
, but also for making translation decisions which are sensitive to the context of use. Thirdly, principled classification of the verbal uses of
allows for greater clarity in discerning which occurrences do indeed perform discourse- pragmatic functions.
So, how does one discern whether an occurrence of has a discourse-
pragmatic function in addition to the role it plays in the clause syntax? Part of the answer
432 to this question is found by considering the implications of the
WAYYIQTOL
form of .
In the analysis implemented in this study, the
WAYYIQTOL
form has a variety of uses as described in 6.4.1. Consider, for example, 1 Sam 7:14:
There was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
8 : F
+
1 Sam 7:14
Before assuming that this clause with functions as a type of summary or
conclusion, three factors need to be recognized: 1 The
EXISTENTIAL
sense of plays a significant role in this clause
2 One of the functions of the
WAYYIQTOL
is
CONCLUSION
See 6.4.1.7 and, 3 The position of the clause in the narrative is also an important factor
A very similar case could be made for ? : in Exod 2:25. There is a
definite dimension of closure operative in this occurrence of because of its position
in the narrative. These factors demonstrate the interactive nature of semantic, pragmatic, and
narrative features in communication. The in 1 Sam 7:14 should not be assigned
discourse-pragmatic significance merely because it is . This places too much
functional load on when, in fact, a variety of factors contribute to its textual role.
Stated in another way, the attribution of any narrative significance to the clause in 1 Sam 7:14 is the product of multiple factors. This may indeed be a significant concluding
remark, but that significance is not the result of the occurrence of alone.
433 The possibility of
having some function outside the clause in which it occurs is not affected by the close syntactic connection between
and the clausal elements with which it occurs. This is in direct contrast to the following statement by Niccacci:
Only when grammatical analysis shows that a given element has no role in the sentence does one have to look for a semantic or pragmatic role on the
higher level, the text level. Niccacci 1994, 117
Niccacci appears to be saying that only when an element has no clausal or sentential role does one look for a pragmatic role in the text. The analysis in this study
has shown, to the contrary, that often has a role at the clause or sentence level as
well as on the level of the text. It is important, however, to distinguish between semantics and pragmatics. In other words, the meaning that
may have should not be confused with the possible functions that it may perform. For example, in the
examples in 9.3.1.3, the semantics of the expression should not be confused with a pragmatic function of something like episode closure. If the proper narrative parameters
were not operative, the expression would not occur. This reflects the symbiotic
nature of language that is part of the context-sensitivity of communication. Linguistic items like
are not like isolated beads dropped into a string of other items. An expression occurs where contextual features produce the motivating factors for its use. At
the same time, the expression contributes semantically to the environment in which it occurs. This requires that analysis implement the notion of context-sensitivity in every
decision. Analysis can greatly benefit from computer searches, but they extract items from their contextualized, interactive stream, making it easy for the analyst to overlook
the contextual factors that motivated the use of the item being studied.
434 In addition to the use of
as
CONCLUSION
discussed above, its use in setting or
ORIENTATION
is another function. This is seen in Gen 39:2.
The Lord was with Joseph He was a successful man
He was in the house of his Egyptian master
9 + 8 3
;
Gen 39:2
Before assuming that there is any particular pragmatic significance to the mere repetition of
here, the principle of choice must be considered. is the normal,
default verb in these three verbal occurrences in Gen 39:2. The concurrence of three instances in consecutive clauses may be unusual, but the verbal use of
in each of these cases is not at all out of the ordinary. Therefore, just the mere repetition of
in Gen 39:2 is not deemed pragmatically significant. What is pragmatically significant is its
use as
ORIENTATION
or in stage-setting clauses.
ORIENTATION
covers several informational categories necessary for the subsequent development of the text. These
categories include information such as temporal and locational reference, introduction of participants and other elements germane to setting up the communicative frame of
reference between the author and reader Grimes 1974.
ORIENTATION
is closely related to the
EQUATIVE
,
EXISTENTIAL
, and
DEICTIC
uses considered in chapter eight. There are no rules that can predict the precise form
ORIENTATION
will take in any given text, although certain common characteristics can be defined. The most basic
characteristic of
ORIENTATION
is that in narrative text, for example, it occurs in the margins of the narration itself. The margin may come before the main body of the
narrative or at its close or in both positions. There are also other margins within the
435 narrative, typically realized as temporal expressions. The
ORIENTATION
function of in temporal expressions is discussed below.
It is important to note that the Gen 39:2 example is surrounded by many other occurrences of
. Chapter 39 alone has 11.54 of all the occurrences in Genesis, not to mention that chapter 38 has another 4.62, giving these two chapters more than 16
of all the occurrences in the whole book. Again, just the mere statistics do not tell the whole story. The various uses must be considered, separating the verbal occurrences
from the temporal ones, before determining the significance of the high frequency of occurrence.
From the perspective of the
ORIENTATION
function of , the discourse-
pragmatic significance of this cluster of occurrences is in the setting being established for the upcoming climactic narrative which ends the book. This is, however, not merely a
result of occurrences of , but rather of
working together with other narrative features.
10.4 Evaluating the Temporal Uses of
Kategori