Hebrew Verbal System and the Use of Weqatal and Wayyiqtol in Discourse-Thematic Analysis

Abstract

This dissertation employs Conceptual Projection Theory to uncover the prototypical features of the Hebrew verb forms qatal, yiqtol, weqatal, and wayyiqtol. The theory encourages viewing the prefixed waw of weqatal and wayyiqtol as one constituent and their corresponding qatal or yiqtol as the other constituent. Aspectuality and deixis are two prototypical features of qatal and yiqtol. In Early Biblical Hebrew, they interact with each other and with the context to generate Aktionsart and situation aspects. Given that the primary aim is to understand how weqatal and wayyiqtol operate in discourse-thematic communication, this research also examines verbal sequencing and discourse stepping. The author proposes that the energic waw can act as a counter-consecution node, signaling the most salient information in a discourse.