2. The Conjunction Wa in CBH

This chapter describes the Old Semitic conjunction wa- in Classical Hebrew, and its use in other Semitic languages. In all instances, a wa-clause relates to the preceding clause(s). The meanings perceived in wa- are relational meanings, such as simultaneity, temporal succession, conditionality, reason, result, and conclusion. The meaning that wa- is perceived to possess is determined by the semantic relation between the two clauses. It turns out that the principal syntactic distinction in Classical Hebrew is not between ‘consecutive waw’ and ‘copulative waw’, but between discourse continuity clauses and discontinuity clauses. In this distinction, wa- plays a fundamental role in the formation of the principal continuity clause-type in Classical Hebrew prose: wa-Verb.