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In:Usage-Based Studies in Modern Hebrew: Background, Morpho-lexicon, and Syntax
Edited by Ruth A. Berman
[Studies in Language Companion Series 210] 2020
► pp. 659–676

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Chapter 18
A usage-based typology of Modern Hebrew syntax

How Semitic?

 | University of Haifa
Published online: 18 March 2020
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https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.210.19nir
The chapter considers how findings from Modern Hebrew syntax shed light on the usage-based domain of contemporary linguistic typology, defined as concerned with the synchronic and diachronic interrelations between function and grammar. To do so, it provides illustrations from well-discussed syntactic features marking inter-clausal relations, and compares these features with those found in Biblical Hebrew prose, with special emphasis on bi-clausal constructions. The conclusion is that Hebrew syntax to this day reflects constructions that are attested at earlier periods in the history of the language, including early as well as late Biblical Hebrew, accompanied by functional and frequency distributions that have changed in current usage.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Bi-clausal constructions: Clauses and their combination
    • 2.1Inter-clausal relations in modern Hebrew
    • 2.2Inter-clausal relations: Examples from Biblical Hebrew prose
  • 3.Concluding comments
  • Notes
  • References
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