Most probably : epistemic modality in Old Babylonian
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Most probably : epistemic modality in Old Babylonian
（Languages of the ancient Near East, 3）
Eisenbrauns, 2012
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 218-232) and indexes
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The system that any language uses to express evaluations, judgments, estimations, and non-real situations tends to be complicated and poorly understood, and this has certainly been the case, historically, for Akkadian. In this study, Nathan Wasserman presents the fruit of 15 years of study of the epistemic modal system of Old Babylonian, which represents one of the better-known and best-documented periods of the Akkadian language.
As Wasserman notes, the interplay of philology, linguistics, and psychology that are involved in understanding any modal system make coming to conclusions a difficult enterprise. And though many questions remain unanswered, in this clearly organized and presented monograph, he guides the reader through a study of each modal word/particle, its etymology, syntax, and usage, on the basis of an examination of most of the Old Babylonian examples published thus far. He thus arrives at a general view of epistemic modality in Old Babylonian.
Wasserman's monograph is a work that will add significantly to our understanding of Old Babylonian language and the interpretation of texts and will become the benchmark for further study of verbal modality in Akkadian and other Semitic languages.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The Modal Particle piqat in Old Babylonian
2. The Modal Particle midde
3. The Modal Particles wuddi and anna
4. The Modal Expression lu ittum
5. The Modal Particle tusa
6. The Modal Particle -man and the Irrealis Constructions ibassi, lu, and asar
7. The Modal Particle kisa and the Expressions ki sa and kima sa
8. The Modal Particle assurre
9. The Modal Particle -mi
10. Conclusions: Epistemic Modality in Old Babylonian
Bibliography
List of Texts Cited in the Study (with the MP indicated)
Indexes
Index of Topics
Index of Personal Names and Akkadian Words
Index of Texts Cited
by "Nielsen BookData"
