The Characterization of Conditional Patterns in Old Babylonian Akkadian

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Abstract

In this paper, a common paratactic conditional construction, found in the letter corpus of Old Babylonian Akkadian (~18th century bce), is given a syntactic characterization so as to differentiate it from other potential sequences. Several distinctive syntactic and semantic features unique to the construction are iden- tified and discussed: polar lexical resumption between the protasis and its pre- ceding co-text; negative polarity items in the protasis; special semantics of verbal forms; and divergence from the common modal-congruence. In addition, the structural variables are formulated, and eventually the construction itself is com- pared with another construction, the circumstantial construction.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAfroasiatic
Subtitle of host publicationData and Perspectives
Editors Mauro Tosco
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company
Pages185-202
Number of pages18
ISBN (Print)9789027200129, 9789027264572
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018

Publication series

NameAmsterdam Studies in the Theory and History of Linguistic Science IV
NameCurrent Issues in Linguistic Theory
Volume339

Keywords

  • Akkadian language
  • Old Babylonian Akkadian dialect
  • syntax
  • semantics
  • parataxis
  • conditional sentence
  • negative polarity

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