Oh botheration
Sep. 28th, 2006 11:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
erratioInspired by a thread on a mailing list about learning how to downgrade one's swearing practices, feeling as though I can't swear while at work because there are customers around who might hear me, and by the usual early morning meandering thoughts that being at work provides me with, I have decided to outsource my swearing needs to the Hebrew language.
Reasons for swearing in Hebrew:
1. The fricative /x/* sounds pleasingly violent for the purpose of using swearing to vent my rage
2. Almost no one I know understands Hebrew
3. For bonus points, the only people who are likely to both understand and take offense at my misuse of the Holy Language are ultra-orthodox Jews, and since their narrow-minded and patriarchal take on Judaism pisses me off this can only be a Good Thing.
* It's similar to a throat clearing sound
Reasons for swearing in Hebrew:
1. The fricative /x/* sounds pleasingly violent for the purpose of using swearing to vent my rage
2. Almost no one I know understands Hebrew
3. For bonus points, the only people who are likely to both understand and take offense at my misuse of the Holy Language are ultra-orthodox Jews, and since their narrow-minded and patriarchal take on Judaism pisses me off this can only be a Good Thing.
* It's similar to a throat clearing sound
Re: Ah, swearing in Hebrew...
Date: 2006-10-01 11:00 am (UTC)Oy, this is getting complicated, isn't it?
In Biblical Hebrew, the infinitive can also serve as a volitive (ie: "[Please] do x") or a prohibitive ("[Do not] do x"). The regular prohibitives, however, are formed off the jussive and they have a negative adverb inserted before them. By the time we get to the Rabbinic writings, this negative adverb is always אל, without exception (unless quoting the Bible), but in the Bible itself it can also be לא.
Case in point: read the 10 commandments (either in Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5) - they all have לא. Also, if you read the story of Solomon's trying the two women (found in 1 Kings 3:16-28, esp. 26-27), you'll see that the author alternates between the two. They seem to possess the same meaning.
Anyway, it's quite possible that this terminology is not even employed at all by Israelis discussing Israeli Hebrew. To the best of my knowledge, you don't speak of perfectives, imperfectives and participles, right? Just pasts, futures and presents?
And, yes, very sorry for having hijacked your post, Jen. But I think you secretly love it. You're just too scared to admit it and look like a nerd (*grins*)
Have a good Yom Kippur!
Re: Ah, swearing in Hebrew...
Date: 2006-10-02 06:24 pm (UTC)I'm with you. The "infinitive serving as a volitive" trick also works in Modern Hebrew. My mum had funny stories about when she and my dad lived in Israel, and she tried (unsuccessfully) to teach at a primary school (she had studied teaching in Sydney before they came to Israel).
At the Ulpan, though, they were not taught the regular imperative form - perhaps because it was considered impolite, or less elegant Hebrew? - instead, she only knew the infinitive form - "na lashevet" or "b'vakasha lashevet" (and not, "shev!"). Needless to say, the kids ate her alive.
Now that I think about it, it is doubtful whether this linguistic barrier alone was the reason for her being completely disobeyed. Kids are quick to latch on to any chink in the armour of their teachers, and I guess this was just an available chink.
In terms of the terminology used in Modern Hebrew, I can't really help - I never went to Ulpan or otherwise formally learnt the grammar in any depth. There's a book I'd like to get out of the library on Modern Hebrew grammar, though - I'll let you know when I've read more.
Had a good Yom Kippur! Hope you did too (that's Simon & Jen & anyone else who may be reading ...)