The so-called nominative uses of 'et : a semantic solution

Abstract

The particle 'et is most often used to mark definite direct objects. It can also be used to mark other verbal extensions, and therefore it has been called an object marker or nota accusativi. This, however, does not cover the surprising instances where the particle is used as a marker of the so-called nominative in Biblical Hebrew. This article investigates examples of this strange phenomenon from a semantic point of view. The semantic functions (according to S.C. Dik’s Functional Grammar) of the relevant words are analyzed to demonstrate that there is a semantic pattern which could offer a new solution to this problem.