---
title: "Paragraphs as episodes — Yoo 2008"
description: "Not read: the PDF could not be fetched."
authors: ["Chang-Keol Yoo"]
year: 2008
venue: "SUNScholar (Stellenbosch University)"
source: "https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/2818"
licence: "Open access (free to read); no CC licence stated — read only (SUNScholar (Stellenbosch University))"
summary_licence: "Elamur Cosmic License"
canonical: "https://research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/yoo-2008-paragraphs-episodes-distinguishing-paragraphs-biblical/"
---
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# Paragraphs as episodes: distinguishing paragraphs in Biblical Hebrew narrative text on the basis of linguistic devices

**Authors:** Chang-Keol Yoo · **Year:** 2008 · **Venue:** thesis, Stellenbosch University (SUNScholar) **Link:** [scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/2818](https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/2818) · not in the library (download failed, 2026-10-17) · **Licence:** free to read, no CC licence — summary only

[**0** citations](https://openalex.org/works?filter=cites:W2124814722) OpenAlex, 2026-10-14 · [SUNScholar (Stellenbosch University)](https://openalex.org/S4306400300)

- [Publisher's page](https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/2818)
- [PDF](https://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstreams/0c2ff906-0c68-48e2-ba74-a736906feacb/download)
- [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W2124814722)

**Authors (1)**

1. [Chang-Keol Yoo](https://openalex.org/A5033148313) h 1 · 4 citations · 2 works

Citations and author metrics: OpenAlex, 2026-10-14; authors with the same name are not always told apart.

## What it is about

**Not read: the PDF could not be fetched.** From the title: the thesis treats a narrative paragraph as an episode (a unit of one setting, one set of participants, one action sequence) and asks which linguistic devices signal its boundaries — likely candidates are וַיְהִי with a temporal phrase, a change of time or place, the (re)introduction of participants with full noun phrases, a break in the wayyiqtol chain (x-qatal, verbless clauses), and closing summaries. Check against the text.

## Ideas

- I1. (to check) A paragraph-boundary scorer on the Torah trees: one point each for marker וַיְהִי, a time or place change, a full-NP subject switch, and a chain break before the clause; evaluate against the Masoretic petuchah/setumah marks (precision and recall).
- I2. Report which single device predicts the Masoretic boundaries best; that device becomes the first rule.

## For Mova

I1–I2 belong to [languages/hbo/09-discourse.md](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/hbo/09-discourse/) §8 (paragraphs and section markers) and to a paragraph step in `tools/macula`, using the Masoretic marks as gold (if the WLC data carries them; otherwise as a gap to fill). Re-read once the PDF is in.

Topics[Hebrew & Aramaic](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/topics/hebrew-aramaic/) · [Semitic languages](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/topics/semitic-languages/)

## Cite

Cite as Chang-Keol Yoo. 2008. Paragraphs as episodes: distinguishing paragraphs in Biblical Hebrew narrative text on the basis of linguistic devices. SUNScholar (Stellenbosch University).

The paper itself, not this card. BibTeX from the library's record of the work.

```bibtex
@inproceedings{yoo2008paragraphs,
  title = {{Paragraphs as episodes: distinguishing paragraphs in Biblical Hebrew narrative text on the basis of linguistic devices}},
  author = {Chang-Keol Yoo},
  booktitle = {SUNScholar (Stellenbosch University)},
  year = {2008},
  url = {https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/2818}
}
```

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