The contribution of Qumran to historical Hebrew linguistics: Evidence from the syntax of participial negation

In this article we examine how Qumran Hebrew can contribute to our knowledge of historical Hebrew linguistics. The premise of this paper is that Qumran Hebrew reflects a distinct stage in the development of Hebrew which sets it apart from Biblical Hebrew. It is further assumed that these unique features are able to assist us to understand the nature of the development of Biblical Hebrew in a more precise way. Evidence from the syntax of participial negation at Qumran as opposed to Biblical Hebrew provides evidence for this claim

Community Translation and Modern Philosophy: The Rosetta Stele and African Orthographies

The Rosetta Stele, an inscribed stone slab, was discovered in July 1799 near the town of Rashid, ancient Rosetta, which is situated in the western part of the Nile delta of Egypt, by soldiers of Napoleon Bonaparte’s invading army. After the French surrender of Egypt in 1801, the stele passed into British hands and is now in the British Museum in London. The commemorative stele contains three versions of the same text (in Egyptian hieroglyphic, Egyptian Demotic and ancient Greek script, representing two varieties of the ancient Egyptian language and the ancient Greek language). It recounts a decree issued on 27 March 196 BCE by Egyptian priests during the Ptolemaic dynasty on behalf of Ptolemy V Epiphanes to commemorate his crowning. It took more than 20 years and various attempts by scholars to decipher the Demotic and hieroglyphic Egyptian texts. This was done by utilising the mechanisms of modern philology, which had been established as a field early in the 1800s. Standing on the shoulders of his predecessors, Jean-François Champollion was the first Egyptologist to crack the code of hieroglyphic writing by realising that some of the signs were alphabetic, some syllabic, and some determinative. The discovery and decipherment of the Rosetta Stele put multilingualism and the practice of translation and interpreting during the Ptolemaic reign over Egypt into focus. In this essay we describe the rediscovery, as well as the emergence and growth of new knowledge, that was unlocked by the decipherment of the Rosetta Stele, including its implications for African orthographies

The experiences of postgraduate psychology students regarding the development of multicultural competence

This study investigated the experiences of postgraduate psychology students regarding their multicultural competence development (MCCD). King and Baxter Magolda’s multidimensional framework for the development of intercultural maturity, comprising cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal dimensions served as theoretical grounding. A qualitative, case study design was employed, using thematic analysis to analyse focus group data. It was found MCCD takes place across the lifespan and in various contexts. Methods to overcome obstacles to MCCD were identified, as well as the participants’ positions of MCCD. Lastly, educational experiences that promote MCCD are discussed

It’s a Virtual Child!: Postgraduate students’ experiences in a developmental psychology class

The aim of this study was to explore postgraduate psychology students’ development, as facilitated by the use of an interactive web-based simulation programme, My Virtual Child©. A social constructivist developmental approach, with specific focus on cognitive development towards self-authorship, served as the overarching framework for the study. Participants included postgraduate students enrolled in a developmental psychology module. Multiple sources of data, such as reflective exercises, summative portfolio assignments and a focus group, were analysed using thematic analysis. Participants indicated that the My Virtual Child© programme provided them with an excellent opportunity for authentic, relevant and challenging learning experiences, whilst balancing theory and practice. Furthermore, it provided room for deliberate reflective activities, group interaction and the integration of a diversity of experiences. This programme therefore created a practical and pragmatic teaching environment for more engaging and theoretically rich learning, preparing students for self-authorship in a complex world

Is the adjective distinct from the noun as a grammatical category in biblical Hebrew?

The adjective is a beleaguered category in biblical Hebrew grammar with many grammars of biblical Hebrew denying that the adjective is a category distinct from substantives. Within a variety of linguistic theories, the status of the adjective as a grammatical category is also debated. Cross-linguistically adjectives exhibit extraordinary variety: in some languages showing similarities to nouns, in others to verbs and in still others to both nouns and verbs. The debate concerning the status of the adjective is mirrored by the broader debate within contemporary linguistics concerning how the issue of grammatical categorisation ought to be approached. In this article, we re-examine the question of whether or not the adjective is a distinct grammatical category from the noun in biblical Hebrew. We approach the question of the status of the adjective as a grammatical category from two perspectives: morphology and syntax

Editorial theory and the range of translations for ‘cedars of Lebanon’ in the Septuagint

Although the Hebrew source text term אֶרֶז [cedar] is translated in the majority of cases as κέδρος [cedar] or its adjective κέδρινος in the Septuagint, there are cases where the following translations and strategies are used: (1) κυπάρισσος [cypress] or the related adjective κυπαρίσσινος, (2) ξύλον [wood, tree] and (3) non-translation and deletion of the source text item. This article focuses on these range of translations. Using a complexity theoretical approach in the context of editorial theory (the new science of exploring texts in their manuscript contexts), this article seeks to provide explanations for the various translation choices (other than κέδρος and κέδρινος). It further aims to determine which cultural values of the translators have influenced those choices and how they shape the metaphorical and symbolic meaning of plants as determined by Biblical Plant Hermeneutics, which has placed the taxonomy of flora on a strong ethnological and ethnobotanical basis

The Revised Standard Version (1952) and its revisions as a linear emergence of the Tyndale–King James Version tradition

Revisions of the King James Version of 1611 continued into the 20th and 21st centuries as literal or word-for-word translations. This development corresponds with a new age in Bible translation that started in the second half of the 20th century, which involves at least six changes in the philosophy of Bible translation. Firstly, Bible translation is characterised by interconfessional cooperation. Secondly, the plain meaning intended in the incipient texts is made accessible to readers. Thirdly, new critical editions of the Hebrew and Greek incipient texts on the basis of new discoveries of texts are utilised. Fourthly, there is the tendency to remove archaic language to make versions intelligible. Fifthly, there is a tendency to use gendered and inclusive language. Sixthly, the move is from print communication, which can be typified as typographic interpretive culture, to electronic or media communication, which can be typified as digital-media interpretive culture, where sound and visuality become prominent as a contextual supplement to words. In the analysis it will be determined which of these aspects are reflected in the Revised Standard Version and its revisions as part of the linear emergence of the Tyndale–King James Version tradition. However, unlike the King James Version, the Revised Standard Version and its revisions failed to achieve widespread approval from satisfied readers, thus opening the door to alternative revisions. Contribution: Instead of viewing the Revised Standard Version and its revisions as new and independent from the Tyndale–King James Version tradition, it is demonstrated that they are a linear continuation of the emergence of the pre-20th century translation complex within this tradition without replicating the success of the King James Version

Die rol van taalvaardigheid in die verband tussen matrieken universiteitsprestasie van swart eerstejaarstudente

This article highlights some of the factors that play a role in the academic success of black first year students who receive non mother-tongue education in English. Students in the Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences, Natural and Agricultural Sciences, as well as the Humanities/Law at the University of the Free State were involved in the study. It was evident that both matric performance and language ability have predictive value. It was also found that the predictive value of these variables differed between the various faculties (which implies that students’ field of study should be taken into account when decisions regarding access with success is made).Key words: language proficiency, matric performance, academic achievement, non mother-tongue education, black first year students.Hierdie artikel werp lig op sommige faktore wat ’n rol speel in die akademiese prestasie van swart eerstejaarstudente wat nie-moedertaalonderrig in Engels ontvang. Studente in die Fakulteite Ekonomiese en Bestuurswetenskappe, Natuur- en Landbouwetenskappe, asook Geesteswetenskappe/Regte aan die Universiteit van die Vrystaat is by die studie betrek. Dit het geblyk dat beide matriekprestasie en taalvaardigheid voorspellingswaarde het. Verder is ook bevind dat die voorspellingswaarde van hierdie veranderlikes verskil tussen verskillende fakulteite (wat impliseer dat studente se studieveld in ag geneem moet word wanneer besluite rakende toelating met sukses geneem word).Sleutelwoorde: taalvaardigheid; matriekprestasie; akademiese prestasie; niemoedertaalonderrig, swart eerstejaarstudente.The article is in Afrikaans

Iron chelators inhibit amyloid-beta-induced production of lipocalin 2 in cultured astrocytes

Lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) has been implicated to play a role in various neurodegenerative diseases, and normalizing its overexpression may be of therapeutic potential. Iron chelators were found to reduce Lcn2 levels in certain animal models of CNS injury. Focusing on Alzheimer's disease (AD), we found that the iron chelators deferoxamine and deferiprone inhibited amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced Lcn2 production in cultured primary astrocytes. Accordingly, Aβ-exposure increased astrocytic ferritin production, indicating the possibility that Aβ induces iron accumulation in astrocytes. This effect was not significantly modulated by Lcn2. Known neuroprotective effects of iron chelators may rely in part on normalization of Lcn2 levels

Lipocalin 2 as a link between ageing, risk factor conditions and age-related brain diseases

Chronic (neuro)inflammation plays an important role in many age-related central nervous system (CNS) diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and vascular dementia. Inflammation also characterizes many conditions that form a risk factor for these CNS disorders, such as physical inactivity, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) is an inflammatory protein shown to be involved in different age-related CNS diseases, as well as risk factor conditions thereof. Lcn2 expression is increased in the periphery and the brain in different age-related CNS diseases and also their risk factor conditions. Experimental studies indicate that Lcn2 contributes to various neuropathophysiological processes of age-related CNS diseases, including exacerbated neuroinflammation, cell death and iron dysregulation, which may negatively impact cognitive function. We hypothesize that increased Lcn2 levels as a result of age-related risk factor conditions may sensitize the brain and increase the risk to develop age-related CNS diseases. In this review we first provide a comprehensive overview of the known functions of Lcn2, and its effects in the CNS. Subsequently, this review explores Lcn2 as a potential (neuro)inflammatory link between different risk factor conditions and the development of age-related CNS disorders. Altogether, evidence convincingly indicates Lcn2 as a key constituent in ageing and age-related brain diseases