From: Eszter (ESZTER.ANDORKA@student.kuleuven.ac.be)
Date: Mon Mar 27 2000 - 03:56:40 EST
Dear list members,
I often meet the phenomenon that ancient texts are much less determinded,
much more opened to different readings, than today's ones. One could argue
that every language is a unique combination of more clarified and rather
obscure forms and fields, so for the speaker of one language a text
written in an other is always undetermined on some points. But I think in
the case of ancient Greek, Aramaic and Hebew texts, it is something
different. they do not even feel the need to fix the meaning as strictly,
as we do it. With the Hebrew and Aramaic, it is clearer: an unpunctated
hebrew text permits number of readings - in fact it often is less a
written text in 20th c. sense, rather a help for reciting memorised texts.
But an unpunctated Greek text also permits a variety of meanings, and I
often see a play on the interference of them.
I guess that I did not reveal anything new by these observations. So my
questions are:
1. Can you recommend some literature dealing with this phenomenon, called
"undeterminedness" by me? (In any European language.)
2. Did you treat the question earlier on the B-Greek list, so that I could
find it in the archives?
Thanks a lot.
Eszter
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