βάρβαρος, – ον, a truly Semitic word

Abstract

Greek experts are aware that adjectives in Greek belong either to the second-first-second declensions, that is, in their masculine, feminine and neuter genders, or to the third-first-third declensions, or to the third declension for all genders. And so we have σοφός, σοφή/, σοφόν (2–1–2), μέλας, μέλαινα, μέλαν (3–1–3), and εὐγενής, – e/n (3–3–3) respectively for the three forms mentioned above. But for the first form we meet with either three different forms for the three different genders, as in σοφός, σοφή/, σοφόν mentioned above, or two different forms for the three genders, one common to both the masculine and the feminine, as in βάρβαρος, – ον, the subject of our note.