Abstract
A clear distinction between the Niphal and Hitpael derivational morphology in Biblical Hebrew has eluded scholars. Traditionally, they have been distinguished according to voice (passive and middle) and reflexivity, where the Niphal tends more to express the former and the Hitpael, the latter. These categories result in significant overlap between these verbal forms, however. To fill attempt to fill this gap, the present study examines the complex relationship between the situation aspect, namely, State, Activity, and Accomplishment, of these verbal forms and the semantic category of verbal roots, both of which contribute to the meaning of a given verb. The Niphal tends consistently towards the situation aspect of State, and the Hitpael towards Activity, as I showed previously (Benton 2009). This paper delves additionally into Accomplishments as a compound aspect of an Activity followed by a State, and it shows that the Hitpael expresses the first phase and the Niphal, the second. The semantic categories in this study include denominal, deadjectival, and motion verbs. The verbal forms consistently follow their situation aspect in all the semantic categories of this study, but, significantly, the semantic category of these verbs imposes an additional dimension of meaning, further distinguishing between the two verbal forms. Authors can combine roots and derivational morphology for stylistic effect. Finally, the article suggests areas where the intersection of morphology, situation aspect, and semantic category can aid linguistic analysis in Biblical Hebrew and other Semitic languages.
