A symposium was organized on the 4th and 5th of April by the ETF Leuven, Noster, and the Netherlands-Flemish Bible Society in Leuven on the topic of valency grammar in the Biblical languages. The event featured a comprehensive discussion of the history of the research in valency grammar, the current state of the field, its implications for the exegesis of biblical passages, and its pedagogical value. The ETCBC was represented by several of its researchers and PhD candidates.
The historical development of valency theory and its contemporary state were explored by Thomas Herbst, who identified the origins of the theory in Structuralism and the contributions of De Saussure and Tesnière. He asserted that valency descriptions lack generalization, a limitation that can be addressed by integrating construction grammar with valency. Stanley E. Porter traced the principles on which valency theory is based further back, highlighting its limitations and underscoring the necessity for supplementation. Mark Paridaens examined the terminological variation used to describe valency in three reference grammars and concluded that there is a need to standardize terminology and become more consistent and systematic. Paul L. Danove proposed a format for a valence lexicon, and Geert W. Lorein investigated valence constructions and their application to the Biblical Aramaic corpus. Silvia Luraghi’s analysis focused on the evolution of patterns in emotion verbs in Biblical Greek.
Janet Dyk presented an analysis of the verb נשׂא, “pick up; carry; bear”, in the form of a flow chart, emphasizing the necessity for enriching the ETCBC database to further disambiguate the meaning of verbs and assist translators in selecting the most appropriate rendering in the target language. Janet Dyk and Constantijn Sikkels are currently engaged in further enriching the database, and the application of this database to translation is the subject of the PhD research of Thijs Amersfoort, under the supervision of Matthijs de Jong and Janet Dyk.
Willem van Peursen and Svenja Lueg, one of our PhD candidates, presented an analysis of the conversion of the ETCBC database into a treebank of the Hebrew Bible based on Universal Dependencies. This conversion facilitates comparative linguistic investigation; however, it also raises questions regarding the interoperability and mutual dependency of the treebanks and their underlying linguistic theories, particularly in the context of so-called double object constructions.
The implications of valency analysis on the exegesis of passages were explored by several speakers. Notably, Stephen Smith presented an argument that an analysis of the valency of the noun ראשׁית can offer a clarifying perspective on the contentious clauses in the extensively debated translation of Genesis 1:1. Oliver Glanz demonstrated that Jeremia deliberately deviates from the standard valence patterns to disturb the reader, and strengthen his message of breaking down the malfunctioning rituals, institutions and buildings, and the rise of a restored world where the idea of a temple is embodied rather by God and his people. Thomas Tops’s investigation focused on valency patterns in the expression of inalienable possession in the New Testament, and showed how this can lead to some surprising conclusions.
Femke Siebesma-Mannens, another of our PhD candidates, explored the verbal valence patterns of the verb אמר and ל-prepositional phrases. The verb uses ל-prepositional phrases in 2/3 of the clauses to introduce on of its objects. While it predominantly signifies the addressee, in certain instances, it serves to denote the subject of the verb’s utterance. Possibly, this can be deduced from the direct speech that follows, whether it uses a 2nd or 3rd person to refer back to the object.
In the final presentation, Jermo van Nes and Wouter Wakker reflected on the value of incorporating syntactic analysis and valency early on in learning Biblical Hebrew and Greek, to develop linguistic reasoning skills. They shared a method developed at ETF Leuven to mark and analyze Hebrew and Greek texts, that has yielded positive results and reactions from students and teachers.
The conference encompassed a wide range of subjects, highlighting the extensive scope of the research field and its significant value in the analysis of Biblical languages. This research has the potential to generate novel insights and enhance translation accuracy. This research will continue to be a focal point for numerous projects at the ETCBC in the future.
