Starting from the recent classification of compounds developed by Sergio Scalise and Antonietta Bisetto, this article focuses on the controversial category of ATAP compounds by investigating the evidence provided by Early Ancient Greek. While Scalise and Bisetto consider exo-centric ATAP compounds cross-linguistically rare, the data from Homeric language show that Greek possesses a class of exocentric appositive compounds whose first member has a strong metaphorical function (e.g. rho-dodáktulos 'rosy-fingered'). It is suggested that this metaphorical understanding applies not only to substantival first members, but also to adjectival ones when they derive from a noun (a frequent situation in Greek secondary adjectives). While positing a separate group of ATAP compounds does not dramatically change our understanding of the morphology and internal syntax of Ancient Greek compounds, it helps us to problematise the notion of modifier by showing that some modifiers are not mere attributes, but metaphorical attributes. As the article argues, this semantic specialisation seems to have been a definining feature of compounds used in Ancient Greek and Early West European poetic language and onomastics.

Exocentric 'ATAP' Compounds: The View from Early Ancient Greek

TRIBULATO, OLGA
2013-01-01

Abstract

Starting from the recent classification of compounds developed by Sergio Scalise and Antonietta Bisetto, this article focuses on the controversial category of ATAP compounds by investigating the evidence provided by Early Ancient Greek. While Scalise and Bisetto consider exo-centric ATAP compounds cross-linguistically rare, the data from Homeric language show that Greek possesses a class of exocentric appositive compounds whose first member has a strong metaphorical function (e.g. rho-dodáktulos 'rosy-fingered'). It is suggested that this metaphorical understanding applies not only to substantival first members, but also to adjectival ones when they derive from a noun (a frequent situation in Greek secondary adjectives). While positing a separate group of ATAP compounds does not dramatically change our understanding of the morphology and internal syntax of Ancient Greek compounds, it helps us to problematise the notion of modifier by showing that some modifiers are not mere attributes, but metaphorical attributes. As the article argues, this semantic specialisation seems to have been a definining feature of compounds used in Ancient Greek and Early West European poetic language and onomastics.
2013
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10278/36897
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