Roy L. Heller,Discourse Linguistics,and the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11,1-9)

Roy L. Heller’s Narrative Structure and Discourse Constellations has proven to be a useful tool in the hands of the discourse linguist. His work in discourse linguistics has advanced the state of scholarship previously developed Robert E. Longacre and Alviero Niccacci. With specific interest in Heller’s work, this paper explores his argument for the form and function of discourse linguistics and its application to biblical Hebrew (BH). To accomplish this task, this paper, first, will provide a summarizing presentation of Heller’s working model of discourse linguistics as seen in Narrative Structure and Discourse Constellations. Second, I will take Heller’s working model and apply it to the tower of Babel narrative (Gen 11,1-9). Third, stemming from the application of Heller’s model, I will enter into a discussion with his discourse linguistic theory to critique its value for those interested in discourse linguistics.