Browsing by Author "Etsebeth, Ruan"

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    Categorising anew the semantic potential of qōl from a cognitive linguistics perspective
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12) Etsebeth, Ruan; Van der Merwe, C. H. J. ; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Ancient Studies.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis aims to provide a recategorisation of the semantic potential of the polysemous lexeme qōl with the input of notable theoretical insights from cognitive linguistics. The extant body of knowledge regarding the lexeme’s semantic potential, comprising Biblical Hebrew lexicons and theological dictionaries of the Old Testament, is thoroughly detailed; however, there is a clear lack of consensus around how to categorise the specific senses comprising the semantic potential. Cognitive linguistics presents a guiding theoretical framework for linguistics research that prioritises empirical study and the growing understanding of what is generally known about the brain’s functional processes. This thesis argues that with relevant insights from cognitive linguistics the Biblical Hebrew corpus can be analysed and described more systematically in terms of a lexeme’s semantic potential. More specifically, this thesis argues for the practical benefit of three tools from cognitive linguistics that have been proven to be productive for the study of meaning in Biblical Hebrew: 1) prototype theory, 2) frame theory, and 3) conceptual metonym and metaphor theory and conceptual blending. After a discussion of the extant body of literature and the productivity of partnering with cognitive linguistics for lexical semantics research, a working hypothesis is formulated with the help of insights from the three cognitive linguistics instruments mentioned. In the main body of the thesis, an account of the lexeme’s sense categories is offered that attempts, on the one hand, to describe the semantic potential of qōl while, on the other hand, offer an analysis and description of the sense extensions that explain the various uses of the lexeme.