The Function of <i>’aṯmāhā</i> in Genesis RabbahJournal of Semitic StudiesSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/5HMCPQ3U/tei
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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.EinavFleckThe Function of <i>’aṯmāhā</i> in Genesis Rabbahhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/5HMCPQ3Uhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/5HMCPQ3Uhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/5HMCPQ3UJournal of Semitic Studies64:22019457-480The meaning and use of the Jewish Palestinian Aramaic word <i>’aṯmāhā</i> (‘astonishment‘) have been discussed only briefly in scholarly literature. The present article examines its use and seeks to demonstrate that most of its occurrences mark two specific types of questions: (1) rhetorical questions and (2) conducive questions. In these functions it is similar to the <i>Zawgā ‘elāyā</i> in New Testament Peshitta manuscripts. We conclude that <i>’aṯmāhā</i> was not intended to be pronounced, nor did it function as a standard punctuation mark, but rather was a marker for a specific pragmatic feature, i.e. questions that are not requests for information. Additionally, it may have developed a secondary asseverative usage.
Fleck, Einav. “The Function of <i>’aṯmāhā</i> in Genesis Rabbah.” Journal of Semitic Studies 64:2 (2019): 457–80.
Einav Fleck, The Function of <i>’aṯmāhā</i> in Genesis Rabbah,Journal of Semitic Studies 64:2 (2019): 457–80.Classical SyriacSyriac languagediacriticsgrammar