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J. van der Merwe · **Year:** 2017 (indexed 2018) · **Venue:** Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics 48, 219–222 **Link:** [doi.org/10.5774/48-0-292](https://doi.org/10.5774/48-0-292) · **Licence:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) [**0** citations](https://openalex.org/works?filter=cites:W2786092906) openalex · 2026-10-18[Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics](https://openalex.org/S4210167496)[licence](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) - [Publisher's page](https://doi.org/10.5774/48-0-292) - [PDF](https://spil.journals.ac.za/pub/article/download/292/248) - [DOI 10.5774/48-0-292](https://doi.org/10.5774/48-0-292) - [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W2786092906) **Authors (1)** 1. [Christo van der Merwe](https://openalex.org/A5021453204) h 3 · 25 citations · 9 works Citations and author metrics from openalex (2026-10-18); authors with the same name are not always told apart. ## What it is about A four-page note on fronting: a finite verbal clause in which a non-verb constituent comes before the verb. In 1 Samuel (337 fronted clauses) about two thirds are explained by information structure: a topic chosen from a set and compared or contrasted with another (1 Sam 15:34), or a focus (the answer to a question, 1 Sam 26:6). Of the remaining third, most have a fronted subject and set up common ground at the start of an episode, give background, report an out-of-the-blue event, or mark simultaneity. The author then isolates a small family: an indefinite subject before a negated verb ("a razor shall not go up on his head", 1 Sam 1:11), and proposes that this construction expresses exhaustive exclusion ("no X at all"), the mirror of כֹּל for exhaustive inclusion, since Hebrew has no word for "no one/nothing" as a quantifier. ## Ideas - I1. Label fronted clauses (X before a finite verb) with a function from a small closed set: contrastive topic, focus, episode opening, background, out-of-the-blue event, simultaneity, exhaustive exclusion. Measure the share of each over the Torah, against the paper's 65/35 split for 1 Samuel. - I2. A rule for exhaustive exclusion: indefinite noun subject (no article, no suffix, not construct-bound to a definite) + לֹא + finite verb → read as "no X" in the English gloss and as negative universal in the world; check against JPS 1917 ("no razor", "none"). - I3. A rule for the fronted-subject episode opener: we-X-qatal after a wayyiqtol chain whose subject is a new or reactivated participant → background / scene setting, not mainline. - I4. Pair focus fronting with a preceding question (מִי … ? — אֲנִי …) as a question–answer test for focus. ## For Mova I1 and I3 go into [Syntax: the clause and the sentence](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/hbo/08-syntax/) (word order, dislocation) and `09-discourse.md` (mainline vs background), and into `tools/macula/src/prag.rs` as candidate rules, each measured with `--with`/`--without` against the JPS reading. I2 is a `prag` polarity rule and a gloss rule for the Torah dictionary's examples (`10-lexicon.md`, the entry for לֹא). I4 is a check for focus in `prag`, cheap because question detection is already there. ## Cite The paper itself, not this card. BibTeX from the library's record of the work. [DOI 10.5774/48-0-292](https://doi.org/10.5774/48-0-292) ``` @inproceedings{merwe2018fronting, title = {{Fronting and exhaustive exclusion in Biblical Hebrew}}, author = {Merwe, Christo van der}, booktitle = {Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics}, year = {2018}, doi = {10.5774/48-0-292}, url = {https://doi.org/10.5774/48-0-292} } ``` - [← previous NP References to Active Participants and Story Development in Ancient Hebrew](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/hbo-2018-levinsohn-np-references-active-participants-story/) - [next → The Evolution of Biblical Hebrew Linguistics in South Africa: The Last 60 Years](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/hbo-2018-naude-evolution-biblical-hebrew-linguistics-south/) - [↑ back to Ancient Hebrew](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/hbo/) ## References 10 references, 0 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet. 1. Erteschik-Shir, N. 2007. Information structure: The syntax-discourse interface. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Erteschik%2DShir%2C+N%2E+2007%2E+Information+structure%3A+The+syntax%2Ddiscourse+interface%2E+Oxford%3A+Oxford+University+Press%2E) 2. Krifka, M. 2007. Basic notions of information structure. Interdisciplinary Studies on Information Structure 6: 13-55. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Krifka%2C+M%2E+2007%2E+Basic+notions+of+information+structure%2E+Interdisciplinary+Studies+on+Information+Structure+6%3A+13%2D55%2E) 3. Lambrecht, K. 1994. Information structure and sentence from: Topic, focus and the mental representation of discourse referents. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Lambrecht%2C+K%2E+1994%2E+Information+structure+and+sentence+from%3A+Topic%2C+focus+and+the+mental+representation+of+discourse+referents%2E+Cambridge%3A+Cambridge+University+Press%2E) 4. Lunn, N. P. 2006. Word-order variation in Biblical poetry. Bletchley, Milton Keynes: Paternoster. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Lunn%2C+N%2E+P%2E+2006%2E+Word%2Dorder+variation+in+Biblical+poetry%2E+Bletchley%2C+Milton+Keynes%3A+Paternoster%2E) 5. Moshavi, A. 2010. Word order in the Biblical Hebrew finite clause: A syntactic and pragmatic analysis of preposing. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Moshavi%2C+A%2E+2010%2E+Word+order+in+the+Biblical+Hebrew+finite+clause%3A+A+syntactic+and+pragmatic+analysis+of+preposing%2E+Winona+Lake%2C+IN%3A+Eisenbrauns%2E) 6. See Moshavi (2010: 167-169). Also 1 Sam 13:19; 21:3; 25:28; 27:11 and 28:20. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=See+Moshavi+%282010%3A+167%2D169%29%2E+Also+1+Sam+13%3A19%3B+21%3A3%3B+25%3A28%3B+27%3A11+and+28%3A20%2E) 7. Christo H. J. van der Merwe Song, J. J. 2012. Word order. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Christo+H%2E+J%2E+van+der+Merwe+Song%2C+J%2E+J%2E+2012%2E+Word+order%2E+Cambridge%3A+Cambridge+University+Press%2E) 8. Song, S. 2017. Modeling information structure in a cross-linguistic perspective. Berlin: Language Science Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Song%2C+S%2E+2017%2E+Modeling+information+structure+in+a+cross%2Dlinguistic+perspective%2E+Berlin%3A+Language+Science+Press%2E) 9. Van der Merwe, C. H. J. 2013. Fronting. In G. Khan (ed.) Encyclopedia of Hebrew language and linguistics. Leiden: Brill. pp. 931-935. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Van+der+Merwe%2C+C%2E+H%2E+J%2E+2013%2E+Fronting%2E+In+G%2E+Khan+%28ed%2E%29+Encyclopedia+of+Hebrew+language+and+linguistics%2E+Leiden%3A+Brill%2E+pp%2E+931%2D935%2E) 10. Van der Merwe, C. H. J., J. A. Naudé and J. H. Kroeze 2017. A Biblical Hebrew reference grammar. 2nd edition. London: Bloomsbury. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Van+der+Merwe%2C+C%2E+H%2E+J%2E%2C+J%2E+A%2E+Naud%C3%A9+and+J%2E+H%2E+Kroeze+2017%2E+A+Biblical+Hebrew+reference+grammar%2E+2nd+edition%2E+London%3A+Bloomsbury%2E)