An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

should primary attention be given to phrases or to clauses and sentences or to
larger chunks of material (i.e., discourses or texts)? Only study of larger chunks
allows us to explain, for example, aspects of time reference and narration or
rhetorical functions (e.g., linguistic expressions of subservience or sarcasm).
c The Semitist’s objections point to the same problem areas as the general
linguist’s do, but for different reasons. First, the traditional understanding of
morphology is based [Page 50] on combining sequences of word elements, as in
English ‘bridesmaids’ < [[[bride + POSSESSIVE] + maid] + PLURAL]. Hebrew,
like the other Semitic languages, uses vowel patterns as much as sequential
combinations, and therefore its morphology is more diverse. In particular, its
morphology is often closely intertwined with the phonology, in ways that the
traditional account does not allow for. Second, the Semitist notes, the domain of
language above the phrase level is much harder to subdivide in Hebrew and the
other Semitic languages than the traditional formula recognizes. The sentence, for
example, is difficult to isolate and define, and thus Semitic grammars tend to treat
clauses at great length, with some reference to a few clear types of complex
sentences.
d Despite these two sets of objections, the tripartite division is a useful scheme, still
recognized by all grammarians as a convenient and sometimes revealing
framework. We discuss the three basic levels mentioned and then turn briefly to
work done on a discourse or text level. At the end of this review we take up some
approaches that cut across linguistic levels and reveal their commonality.
3.3.1 Sounds
a The most basic system of the linguistic code involves the sounds themselves. A
sound produced by the vocal tract may be called a phone, and the sounds are
studied in themselves in the science of phonetics. Of greater interest to the linguist
is the set of sounds actually used in a given language, the set of phonemes, and the
ways in which they are used; the set of these usage patterns is called the
phonology of a language, as is the study of the patterns.
b A phoneme is a sound or speech unit that makes a difference, that is, it can
distinguish one word from another. The English words ‘pit’ and ‘pin’ differ only
in the final sounds, the t and n; thus, we say t and n are phonemes in English. The
word pair ‘bit’ and ‘pit’ shows that b and p are phonemes of English; such a pair
is called a minimal pair. For many speakers of American English ‘pen’ and ‘pin’
are distinct, and for those speakers the two vowels E and I are phonemic. For
many others, however, ‘pen’ and ‘pin’ sound alike, and only the I vowel is used.
Note that these speakers use the I vowel in words such as ‘rent,’ ‘sent,’ and
‘went,’ where the first group of speakers uses the vowel of ‘pen’; there is no