Insights into prefixed and suffixed morphemes

Insights into prefixed and suffixed morphemes

Prefixed Morphemes in Biblical Hebrew

  • Conjunction ‘waw’: A waw prefix can mean ‘and’, or ‘but’, or can convert the verb tense (using the waw-conversative/consecutive construction).
  • Prepositional prefixes ‘b’, ‘k’, ‘l’: To show prepositions ‘in’, ‘as’ or ‘like’, and ‘to’ respectively, these prefixes are attached to the word.
  • Definite article ‘ha’: This prefix is used to indicate the definiteness of a noun or a noun-like word.
  • Interrogative ‘ha’: This prefix is used in biblical Hebrew to indicate a question.
  • Verbal prefixes: Certain verbs in Hebrew take prefixes to indicate tense, aspect, and mood. For example, the prefix ‘y’ signifies third person future tense in the Qal form.

Suffixed Morphemes in Biblical Hebrew

  • Pronominal suffixes: These are attached to nouns, prepositions, or verbs to indicate person, gender, and number. They can specify possession for nouns (my book), object for verbs (he hit me), or relation for prepositions (for us).
  • Directional ‘ה’ (‘he’) suffix: Added to substantives or rare instances to prepositions (prep + η) to indicate direction toward the referent of the noun.
  • Plural morpheme ‘im’ & ‘ot’: Masculine nouns typically take ‘im’ to mark plurality, while feminine nouns usually takes ‘ot’.
  • Dual morpheme ‘ayim’: This is added to words to indicate a pair.
  • Paragogic suffixes ‘nun’ (‘n’) and ‘he’ (‘h): Though their usage is complex and often unclear, they seem to be used to add emphasis or reflect a slight change in the meaning of the word. However, their usage has been seen to be both optional and variable.