Historical Aspects of Standard Negation in Semitic.

• Author: Pat-El, Na'ama

Historical Aspects of Standard Negation in Semitic. By AMBJORN SJORS. Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics, vol. 91. Leiden: BRILL, 2018. Pp. xv + 478. $140.

Negation has been the topic of a great many studies in Semitic linguistics, but the historical study of negation in its Semitic context has received far less attention than it should. Despite there being relatively few shared negation particles, their distribution makes reconstruction quite complicated. The book under review is a serious and ambitious attempt to reconstruct the original standard Semitic negation particle.

The book is divided into three sections, an introduction, review and analysis of the evidence, and a concluding discussion. The basic hypothesis presented in the book is that *la is the standard unmarked negation particle in Semitic while *?al is a modal negation (similar to what one finds in Northwest Semitic). The breadth and depth of this tome is remarkable; both the data and the secondary literature are, for the most part, expertly presented, and the discussion is evenhanded. Although I find myself in disagreement with a number of the claims in the book, it is nevertheless an important and thorough work that should be a part of any serious Semitic library. Given the scope of the volume it would be impossible to review its many parts and arguments, and so below I offer a few comments to highlight some areas of interest.

The book opens with an in-depth review of some accounts of the history of negation in linguistics, with the author summarizing the works of a few major scholars who dealt with the topic (primarily Jespersen, Croft, and van der Awera). The introduction serves as a theoretical framework, with some helpful (and clear!) terminological discussions, in particular the term "standard negation." Semitic examples are scattered throughout the chapter and provide a demonstration of the concepts and processes discussed.

The majority of the book reviews negation in the various Semitic languages. The choice of languages covered here is a bit puzzling. For example, Qur'anic Arabic (chapter 8) represents Arabic as a whole, with no attention given to non-standard and modern varieties, while modern Ethio-Semitic is covered in chapters 11, 12, and 13. Deir Alia and Samalian are included with Aramaic (chapter 7). The author offers little to explain these choices. The chapters themselves are rich in primary evidence and include an impressive coverage of the...