The Verbal System of the Aramaic of Daniel (Studies in the Aramaic Interpretation of Scripture, 8)

This book explains the verbal system of the Aramaic of Daniel in the context of current research on grammaticalization, which, though first mentioned by Meillet in 1912, did not flourish until the beginning of the 1980's, and has only more recently been applied to the study of Ancient Near Eastern languages. Although various aspects of the Aramaic of Daniel have been subject of numerous studies, including a few exhaustive studies on the verbal system in the last century, it remains among the most difficult to explain. The explanation offered here is coherent with the historical development of Aramaic as well as the observable tendencies in the development of human languages in general. CONTENTS......Page 8 Preface and Acknowledgements......Page 14 List of Abbreviations......Page 16 A. The Aim of the Present Study......Page 18 B. Grammaticalization......Page 19 1. Unidirectionality......Page 20 2. Layering and Persistence......Page 21 4. Other Phenomena......Page 22 5. Limitations of Grammaticalization......Page 23 C. Previous Studies......Page 24 D. Description of the Present Research......Page 26 E. Some Presuppositions......Page 29 F. Morphosyntax and Discourse Analysis/Textlinguistics......Page 33 G. Issues of Date and Provenance......Page 34 H. Issues of Interpretation......Page 36 A. Preliminary Discussion of Concepts and Issues......Page 37 B. Present Anterior/Resultative......Page 40 C. Past Anterior/Resultative......Page 47 E. Simple Past......Page 49 F. Stative Suffix Conjugation Verbs......Page 50 1. Hypothetical/Conditional......Page 52 3. Evidential......Page 53 H. Summary......Page 55 A. Preliminary Discussion of Concepts and Issues......Page 56 C. The Active Participle in Formulaic Expressions......Page 60 1. Past Progressive......Page 62 2. Past Habitual or Iterative/Frequentative......Page 65 3. Past Inceptive......Page 66 4. General Present......Page 67 6. Performative Present......Page 68 7. Historical Present......Page 69 E. Non-Imperfective Functions that Overlap with the Prefix Conjugation......Page 72 F. Summary......Page 74 A. Preliminary Discussion of Concepts and Issues......Page 75 B. The Passive Participle/Verbal Adjective......Page 77 1. From Verbal Adjective to Resultative Participle......Page 78 2.1. Predicate Adjective......Page 83 2.4. Adjunct/Complement......Page 84 3. Verbal Functions......Page 85 1. Passive/Reflexive Voice......Page 87 2. Imperfective......Page 89 3. Predicate Adjective......Page 90 D. The Syntax of the Passive Participle and the T-Stem Participle Contrasted......Page 91 E. Active Participles in Generalized Subject Constructions......Page 93 F. Summary......Page 94 A. Preliminary Discussion of Issues......Page 96 1. Progressive......Page 97 2. Habitual or Iterative/Frequentative......Page 98 5. Modality......Page 99 C. The Complex Verb Phrase ... + Participle......Page 100 1. Progressive......Page 102 2. Reiteration and/or Other Functions......Page 103 E. The Relationship between ... + Participle and Participle + .........Page 106 F. An Optional Grammatical Construction......Page 108 G. The Passive Participle/Verbal Adjective in combination with .........Page 110 H. Summary......Page 113 A. Preliminary Discussion of Concepts and Issues......Page 115 B. Non-Modal Functions......Page 116 1. Simple Future......Page 117 2. General Present......Page 118 3. Past Imperfective......Page 120 C. Modality......Page 126 1. Agent-Oriented Modalities......Page 127 1.3. Root Possibility......Page 128 2.1. Affirmative Directives......Page 129 2.2. Prohibition......Page 133 3.1. Possibility......Page 134 4. Subordinate/Subjunctive Modalities......Page 135 4.1. Hypothetical/Conditional......Page 136 4.2. Temporal subordinate clauses......Page 137 4.3. Complement......Page 138 4.4. Purpose......Page 139 4.5. Result......Page 141 D. Jussive......Page 142 E. The Prefix Conjugation Form of the Verb .........Page 143 F. Summary......Page 144 C. Permission......Page 146 D. Request......Page 147 F. Summary......Page 148 A. Preliminary Discussion of Concepts and Issues......Page 150 B. Nominal Functions......Page 151 1. Complement......Page 152 3. Prohibition......Page 153 D. Summary......Page 154 C. The Copula .........Page 155 D. The Auxiliaries ... and .........Page 157 F. The Alleged Auxiliary .........Page 160 G. Summary......Page 161 1. Anterior/Resultative......Page 162 2. Simple Past vs. Past Perfective......Page 163 3.2. General Present......Page 165 3.3. Actual Present......Page 166 5. Modality......Page 168 C. Grammaticalization and the Verb in the Aramaic of Daniel......Page 169 1. Unidirectionality......Page 170 2. Layering and Persistence......Page 171 3. Reanalysis and Analysis/Rule Generalization......Page 172 4. Other Remarks......Page 173 D. The Prominence of Tense and Aspect......Page 174 E. Conclusion......Page 176 Glossary......Page 178 Bibliography......Page 193 List of Passages Cited as Examples......Page 204 1. Biblical Aramaic......Page 206 2. General Aramaic......Page 209 8. Babylonian Talmud......Page 210 D. Akkadian......Page 211 F. Greek......Page 212 List of Authors......Page 213 In the context of current research on grammaticalization phenomena, this book offers a synchronic explanation of the verbal system of the Aramaic of Daniel that is coherent with the diachronic development of Aramaic and of human languages in general.