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The Call of *Yaqtulu : The Central Semitic Imperfective, Nominalisation and Verbal Semantics in Cyclical Flux

Wikander, Ola LU (2020) In Ugarit-Forschungen 50 (2019). p.435-451
Abstract
The article discusses the discrepancy between the *yaqattal and *yaqtulu imperfectives (the former known from East Semitic, Ethiosemitic and Modern South Arabian and the latter from Central Semitic). It argues that original nominalised phrases such as “he is a killer” came about based on an earlier “he is one who killed”, and that these were subsequently reinterpreted as imperfectives. A comparison is made with Modern South Arabian “insubordination”, and further lines are drawn into the attested development of Biblical Hebrew and Ugaritic and to the problems such a development imply for exegetical work. Arguments con-cerning the cladistics of West Semitic are also offered, and the possibility of an initial rise of *yaqtulu already in... (More)
The article discusses the discrepancy between the *yaqattal and *yaqtulu imperfectives (the former known from East Semitic, Ethiosemitic and Modern South Arabian and the latter from Central Semitic). It argues that original nominalised phrases such as “he is a killer” came about based on an earlier “he is one who killed”, and that these were subsequently reinterpreted as imperfectives. A comparison is made with Modern South Arabian “insubordination”, and further lines are drawn into the attested development of Biblical Hebrew and Ugaritic and to the problems such a development imply for exegetical work. Arguments con-cerning the cladistics of West Semitic are also offered, and the possibility of an initial rise of *yaqtulu already in Proto-West Semitic is cautiously supported. (Less)
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
yaqattal, yaqtulu, Central Semitic, relatives, grammaticalization, nominalization, Northwest Semitic, Hebrew, Ugaritic
in
Ugarit-Forschungen
volume
50 (2019)
pages
17 pages
ISSN
0342-2356
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
ISBN: 978-3-86835-280-1
id
e4030061-ec77-44ea-9d7b-8594e752a968
date added to LUP
2020-11-29 18:44:46
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:13:18
@article{e4030061-ec77-44ea-9d7b-8594e752a968,
  abstract     = {{The article discusses the discrepancy between the *yaqattal and *yaqtulu imperfectives (the former known from East Semitic, Ethiosemitic and Modern South Arabian and the latter from Central Semitic). It argues that original nominalised phrases such as “he is a killer” came about based on an earlier “he is one who killed”, and that these were subsequently reinterpreted as imperfectives. A comparison is made with Modern South Arabian “insubordination”, and further lines are drawn into the attested development of Biblical Hebrew and Ugaritic and to the problems such a development imply for exegetical work. Arguments con-cerning the cladistics of West Semitic are also offered, and the possibility of an initial rise of *yaqtulu already in Proto-West Semitic is cautiously supported.}},
  author       = {{Wikander, Ola}},
  issn         = {{0342-2356}},
  keywords     = {{yaqattal; yaqtulu; Central Semitic; relatives; grammaticalization; nominalization; Northwest Semitic; Hebrew; Ugaritic}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{435--451}},
  series       = {{Ugarit-Forschungen}},
  title        = {{The Call of *Yaqtulu : The Central Semitic Imperfective, Nominalisation and Verbal Semantics in Cyclical Flux}},
  volume       = {{50 (2019)}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}