מ/לפני ,אחר, and תחת : a cognitive linguistic approach to the Biblical Hebrew prepositions

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation addresses the problem of the polysemic meaning of three Biblical Hebrew(=BH) words that are used as prepositions: ʾahṛ , pn(h), and thṭ . Addressing this problem notonly profiles the poly- and heterosemies of these words, but also establishes how usage-basedmethods can be applied to analyze and describe relational words in BH. Frame semantics andand grammaticalization theory are primarily used for these purposes. Using these methods inconjunction with one another, lexical semantic categories are established for eachpreposition. All instances of each preposition in BH are grouped into these categories. Usingusage-based methods, these categories are plotted onto a semantic network that accounts for1) the historic development of each preposition, and 2) the relationship between eachsemantic category. Each category is further described semantically with visual tools ofcognitive linguistics, namely trajectory-landmark diagrams.Seven lexical semantic categories are established for ʾahṛ : posterior anatomy, posterior space,alternative posterior, static posterior verb, posterior locative, posterior time, and causation.Six lexical semantic categories are established for the forms of pn(h) in question: anterioranatomy, anterior locative, comparative, dominance agent/object marker, anterior time, andcausation. Finally, five semantic categories are established for thṭ : inferior anatomy, inferiorspace, substitution, inferior locative, and causation.In addition to the lexical semantic categories established as a conclusion for each prepositionin question, this dissertation also shows the relevance that verbal forms of the same root canhave on the study of prepositional usages of such heterosemic roots.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University