Complex Phrases in Biblical Hebrew
6.6 Complex Semantically Defined Conjoined Phrases
The distinctions between structurally defined and semantically defined conjoined phrases were presented in §5.6. There is no need to expand on the materials presented there.
6.6.1 Complex Echo Phrases
Basic echo phrases were discussed in some detail in §5.6.1. All we need to do here is provide a brief survey of complex echo phrases and show a parade example. We find 61 complex echo
15. In Neh 7:66, the 5-conjunct number “42,300” has the pattern S0S0S0S0P. In 2 Sam 23:32, the 18th conjunct is a segment, unlike the other 30 phrasal conjuncts. The parallel in 1 Chr 11:34 suggests that ן ֶבּ ‘son of’ has been lost from the text of Samuel. Its restoration in 2 Sam 23:32 would recover the expected all-P pattern from the present very unusual P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0S0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P0P pattern.
phrases in Biblical Hebrew. Fifty-two are represented by tree phrase markers and 9 by non-tree.
There is only one complex triple echo, in Jer 7:4, as shown in phrase marker (6.32).
(6.32)
6.6.2 Complex Apposition Phrases
Apposition was introduced in §5.6.2. Below we provide the tallies for the apposition phrases classified by child count. Both tree and non–tree phrase markers are included.
Child
Count Complex Basic Child
Count Complex Basic Child
Count Complex Basic
2 16,850 2,207 4 77 0 6 3 0
3 783 19 5 14 0
Many of the complex apposition phrases include nominalized constituents, be they nominal-ized clauses (nom / nom), nominalized infinitives (nom inf / oblq), or noun-verb participles (nom ptc / oblq). Nominalized constructions are not discussed in this book until chap. 8. We expect that readers will grasp the following material nevertheless. If not, they should consult the glossary or (6.31)
sample chap. 8 and then return to this point. Phrase marker (6.33) from Prov 21:24 shows a phrase-terminal nominalized clause.
(6.33)
As the following figures reveal, nominalized constituents have a strong tendency to come at the end of complex apposition phrases.
Child
Count Number
Initial Number Terminal
2 56 4,097
3 3 288
4 0 26
5 0 4
6 0 1
2–6 59 4,416
In Biblical Hebrew, nominalized constituents in complex apposition phrases are almost 75 times more likely to be phrase-terminal than to be phrase-initial.
When addressed at all, the traditional treatment of constructions such as we are examining here is to make a general statement (to the effect that nominalized constituents in apposition phrases [al-most always] come at the end of the phrase), provide a few examples, and leave the matter. Having all of the data analyzed allows us to investigate atypical instances and question why they are the way they are: are the exceptions clustered in the text; does their incidence seem to be controlled by identifiable factors; is their occurrence associated with genre; is it random?
Phrase marker (6.34) from 1 Kgs 7:48 shows a nominalized clause (nom / nom) followed by a single segment in apposition to the definite phrase (n:furn / def) leading off the apposition trio. Why is this phrase structured this way? We note that 1 Kings has the largest number of these atypical instances of any book—seven in all.
(6.34)
6.6.3 Strictly Subsetting Phrases
The final trio of related complex phrases consists of:
1. strictly subsetting phrases (210×), 2. strictly supersetting phrases (185×), 3. nested phrases (16×).
These phrase types are investigational and are to date incompletely identified in our phrase mark-ers. 16 Whether they prove worth completing or whether they should revert to structurally defined phrase types remains to be seen. They are semantic replacements for the union / disjoint, mixed list, and joined phrase types, relying on the hypernym / hyponym (superclass / subclass) distinction.
A strictly subsetting phrase is made up of constituents the order of which runs from most general to least. In this type of phrase, hyponym follows hypernym. For example, the first constituent of phrase marker (6.35) from Gen 24:10 specifies the land, and the second specifies the city, a subset of the former. Num 9:11 has a three-child subsetting consisting of month, day, and time of day (“evening”).
(6.35)
6.6.4 Strictly Supersetting Phrases
In strictly supersetting phrases, hypernym follows hyponym. The order runs from least general to most. Phrase marker (6.36) from Judg 10:1 conveys the structure. Here, city precedes region.
16. Hence the counts provided above are tentative at best.
(6.36)
6.6.5 Nested Phrases
When there are three or more immediate phrasal constituents, the constituents might form a hypernym / hyponym set, but the ordering may be neither subsetting nor supersetting. We refer to these phrases as nested. Phrase marker (6.37) from Deut 34:6 shows this sort of structure. Here we have valley, land, city—a non-monotonic sequence.
(6.37)
6.7 Brief Summary
Complex Phrases. A complex phrase involves more than one licensing relation. This chapter provides a census, with example phrase markers, of the various kinds of complex phrases attested in Biblical Hebrew.
Complex Tight Phrases. Unlike the very rare complex suffixed phrases (10×) and the few bizarre complex definite phrases (8×), there are many “well-formed” complex definite phrases (1,107×), the great majority involving noun-verb participles (89%).
Complex Unconjoined Phrases. Complex unconjoined phrases are of five sorts: prepositional phrases (“from the Levite”), construct phrases (“two-of sons-of Jacob”), modification phrases (“priest-of Yahweh in Shiloh”), inverted modification phrases (“hundred talent-of silver”), and bonded substantives (“neck and not face”).
Complex Structurally Defined Conjoined Phrases. Taking up complex structurally defined conjoined phrases lands us in a combinatoric nightmare since there are a great many possible com-binations of segments, phrases, and connectives. In practice, however, few are realized. As with
basic structurally defined conjoined phrases, there are three sorts: union phrases (“heifer three-year-old one and she-goat three-year-three-year-old one”), mixed lists (“the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite”), and juxtaposed lists (“king of Jerusalem, king of Hebron, king of Yarmut, king of Lakish, king of Eglon”).
Complex Semantically Defined Conjoined Phrases. Complex semantically defined conjoined phrases are of five sorts: echo phrases (“Temple of Yahweh, Temple of Yahweh, Temple of Yah-weh”), apposition phrases (“David the king”), strictly subsetting phrases (“in the year the second, in the month the second, in twenty in the month”), strictly supersetting phrases (“in day of twenty and four to the month, in the sixth, in year of two to Darius the king”), and nested phrases (“in the month the first, in the year the second, in one to the month”).
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