George:

Ruth is again correcting me on my use of terminology and it looks as if
I’ll have to change how I say things again.

On Tue, May 28, 2013 at 1:30 AM, George Athas <[email protected]>wrote:

>  Hi Ruth!
>
>  Thank you for your insightful comments. I think you've shown quite well
> that we need to distinguish the nature of an action (Aktionsart) from how
> it is depicted and presented to a reader (aspect). The two are not the
> same, but they are often confused.
>

Now this is confusing. “Aspect” is one linguistic term that I was taught
that I remember, and my memory is the same as
http://www-01.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOflinguisticTerms/WhatIsAspect.htm.
How does your use above fit in with the SIL definition?

>
>  …
>
>  … A much better explanation of the variation in aspect is according to
> definiteness and indefiniteness. Just as one might switch between 'a horse'
> and 'the horse' in nouns, so we can switch between 'an action in
> particular' and 'an action in general'.
>

Again “definiteness”
http://www-01.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOflinguisticTerms/WhatIsDefiniteness.htm.
No argument that I can see there.

The problem I see is that passages as Proverbs 31;10–21 and plenty of
others is that there’s no definiteness/indefiniteness being expressed by
verbal usage. In Proverbs 31:10–31 all the verbs express indefiniteness.
Equally so. Yet the conjugations are Qatal and Yiqtol (including
Wayyiqtol). Therefore the conjugations express something other than
definiteness/indefiniteness.

>
>
>  *GEORGE ATHAS*
> *Dean of Research,*
> *Moore Theological College *(moore.edu.au)
> *Sydney, Australia*
>
> Karl W. Randolph.
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