Abstract
AbstractThe aim of this article is to examine the status of postnominal modifiers in Latin and Ancient Greek. Compared to prenominal modifiers, modifiers in postposition are more loosely integrated into the noun phrase. However, whereas modern scholars analyse them as integral parts of noun phrases, Classical philologists claim that postnominal modifiers are, at least originally, appositive elements. Furthermore, from a typological point of view, there are languages in which postnominal modifiers do not form a part of noun phrases at all. Several criteria of a semantic, syntactic, or pragmatic nature can help us with distinguishing between true modifiers belonging to noun phrases and apposed elements, specifically, semantic completeness and incompleteness of referents, restrictions on predication of modifiers, coordination, and context.