The Semantic Classification of Adjectives in Classical Greek

The attempts to set up a classification of Greek adjectives have been hindered by the confusion of different criteria. The syntactic behavior of adjectives can be accounted for by their semantic features, so it is possible to establish a semantic classification on the basis of the functional criterion of alternation between coordination & juxtaposition, according to which adjectives belonging to equivalent classes are coordinated & adjectives belonging to different classes are juxtaposed. We obtain in this way an open classification consisting of 11 functional classes not strictly separated to which adjectives are not attached in a univocal way, but depending of the context. The central classes include more objective contents (inherent / not inherent property, color, substance, provenance & location), while the more subjective ones are located in the extremes of the scale (evaluation, size, age, purpose, typical characteristics, etc). Adapted from the source document