:Aharon from Jerusalem is
asking
"So, Hebrew is a language of
roots and patterns. The verbal patterns (binyanim, right?)
are regular and have a specific meaning. Do the patterns of nouns
or adjectives also have similar meanings, like the CaCaCah (Ahava,
adama) meaning an abstract noun of the root, or CeCeC (kelev,
lechem, delet) being a concrete, tangible object?
"Aaron,
Jerusalem!"
Osnat
Rance writes:
Dear Aharon,
Thank you for your
question.
The answer to your question is
not a categorical one I am afraid as with almost any other field in
linguistics. (I wish it were, it would have make our lives much
easier as teachers. J ) Since language is a living and dynamic
mechanism, things do not always seem to make sense and may at times
seem without logic.
The answer to your question in a
broad sense is that there is no hard and fast rule for the grouping
of nouns and they are not always constructed according to identical
templates. Let me explain…
The Hebrew is a language of
roots (Shorashim) and templates (Mishkalim) these are found for the
greater majority within the verb system.
There are little clues however
where nouns are concerned although care should be taken not to
overgeneralize the rules.
CaCaC - would usually indicate
an occupation (Nagar (carpenter), Tabach (cook), Tsaba (painter),
etc.)
Nonetheless, not all occupations
would fit in to this pattern, especially more modern occupations
which are derived from an English word (Fizikay (physicist),
Matematikay (mathematician), etc.)
Templates in Hebrew may also have
affixes added to them. An affix is a morpheme (letters with a
specific meaning, like the plural "s" in English) added to the word
either at the beginning of a word,(prefix), or at the end of a word
(suffix). Hebrew has a very rich morphological system and this is
the reason why sentences and phrase appear to be shorter than
comparative sentences and phrases in English (which has a poorer
morphology). For example:
Consier the suffix: '___eet' in
Hebrew which "minimizes" the size of feminine objects:
KAF (spoon_ VS KAPIT (tea
spoon)
MAPA (table cloth) VS MAPIT
(napkin)
Regarding your question about
nouns in Hebrew working by a template; there are certain catagories
of nouns, (see below).
- Tangible (table,
chair)
- Abstract (love,
anger)
- Proper nouns(Jerusalem,
Thames)
- Collective nouns (a singular
noun representing plural: class, parlament)
BUT as I said at the beginning,
although some nouns can be formed according to templates or sound
patterns, there are a lot of exceptions and often it is the
position of the word in a phrase that gives a better indication if
it is a noun or an adjective, rather than its sound
pattern.
Feel free to contact us with you
question at: Info@ulpanaviv.com