The Present-Future in Amorite: A Rejoinder

Baranowski, Krzysztof J.

The Present-Future in Amorite: A Rejoinder

Abstract

Andrason and Vita (2014) argued on typological grounds that the Amorite verbal system be reconstructed with a present-future form. They proposed that there were two such forms in Amorite, yaqtulu and yaqattal, the latter being more prominent. In their view, such a reconstruction corresponds to a dynamic vision of language evolution with resulting fuzzy dialectal boundaries. Their argumentation is, however, flawed in several points. In spite of their claims, the exclusively onomastic nature of the evidence on Amorite does not permit a characterization of the verbal semantic which is required by their argumentation. Notwithstanding the adoption of a diachronic view of language, their argument compares forms which belong to different stages of the evolution of the Semitic verbal system and in this way it neglects the factor of time. Their argumentation is hypothetical and can even better support the view that Amorite had only one present-future form, yaqtulu.