Browsing by Author "Meister, Mauro Fernando"

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    Interrogatives in Biblical Hebrew : a case study in the Joseph narrative
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1996-09) Meister, Mauro Fernando; Van der Merwe, C. H. J.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Modern Foreign Languages.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: INTERROGATIVES IN BIBLICAL HEBREW A CASE STUDY IN THE JOSEPH NARRATIVE In the light of the present literature on the subject of interrogatives in Biblical Hebrew a new study is necessary. Assessing some of the traditional grammatical approaches to the subject one notices that their presentation is sometimes confusing. The major problem with these presentations is that they do not make a proper distinction between the form (interrogative) and the most usual functions of this type of sentence (question). Thus, although most grammars enable the student to identify an interrogative sentence through surface level criteria, they do not enable the student to identify its many functions (usually functions are only listed without any explicit criteria). Observing the description of interrogatives in other languages one notes that the descriptions are much more clear when form and function are properly identified. In this study we propose to investigate interrogative sentences in their context using a framework that will allow one to identify their functions. Our initial hypothesis is that speech act theory combined with an approach that allows the analysis of text, beyond the boundaries of sentences, can be fruitful. For this purpose we follow the approach of Schiffrin, Approaches to Discourse (1994). Schiffrin combines speech act theory with principles of discourse analysis (analysis of text), allowing other factors (textual and social contexts) to be included in the investigation. In order to verify our hypothesis we apply the framework above to the interrogatives in the Joseph Narrative (Genesis 37 -50). We chose this narrative as sample for the simple fact that it is rich in interrogative sentences and allows one to deal with context more easily. We do not propose to interpret the narrative itself but we only use it to test the initial hypothesis. The findings of the investigation are presented in a final section, where some suggestions are made regarding two aspects: how to approach interrogative sentences in the First Testament and how the subject of interrogatives in Biblical Hebrew should be presented to newcomers. The first suggestion incorporate a series of 'rules-of-thumb' as to how to find out the functions of interrogatives.