Programme
Sociolinguistic profiles in the Hebrew Bible and related literature.
The linguistic and stylistic data of the Hebrew Bible have traditionally been divided into early and late biblical Hebrew, and based on their linguistic features texts have accordingly been estimated as early or late. In recent years, not least within this research group, scholars have questioned the chronological significance usually allotted to the linguistic difference, and some suggest that the difference is rather a question of synchronic style. This is not just a matter of different language usage in different geographical locations, but includes matters of pragmatics, social and mental constraints as well.