The aim of this research was to establish if the semiotactic theory of C.L. Ebeling could be applied to Modern Japanese and mathematical descriptions of Japanese sentences could be made that are... Show moreThe aim of this research was to establish if the semiotactic theory of C.L. Ebeling could be applied to Modern Japanese and mathematical descriptions of Japanese sentences could be made that are consistent, clear and easy to understand. For this purpose example sentences from various sources, containing the most frequently used structures and expressions of Modern Japanese, were analyzed and described. In doing so, new light has been shed on various aspects of the Japanese language. Firstly, the general assumption that particles, also called postpositions, are similar in meaning and function to the prepositions in English proved to be true only for a number of the particles. Furthermore it was found that the traditional definitions for transitivity do not apply for Japanese, and the commonly assumed classification of noun phrases marked by the particle ga as direct objects has been rejected, in favor of the view that all noun phrases marked by nominative ga are subjects. That this method yields a better insight into the structure of the Japanese language is also demonstrated by the fact that, contrary to the classification commonly assumed until now, it was concluded that there are no indirect objects in Japanese. Show less
This doctoral dissertation consists of a linguistic study of the Aramaic of Targum Jonathan. Targum Jonathan (and its twin Targum Onqelos) is a paraphrastic translation of the Hebrew Bible into... Show moreThis doctoral dissertation consists of a linguistic study of the Aramaic of Targum Jonathan. Targum Jonathan (and its twin Targum Onqelos) is a paraphrastic translation of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic. Although it is usually recognized that it reached its final shape in Babylonia in the early centuries of our era, nowadays it is generally assumed that it was originally composed on Palestinian soil and found its way to Babylonia at a later stage. The question of its exact origin, however, has never been conclusively answered. Taking the Books of Samuel as a basis, this doctoral dissertation investigates five points of the syntax of the Aramaic of Targum Jonathan (determination, viz. the uses of the absolute and emphatic states; morphosyntax of the numerals; distribution of the genitive constructions; the verbal system and word order). The findings of this study are then systematically compared to what is known at present of the syntax of other pre-modern Aramaic idioms, in an attempt to classify the Aramaic of Targum Jonathan along dialectological lines and shed additional light on its provenance. Show less
