The Position of Possessive and Demonstrative Adjectives in the Noctes Atticae of Aulus Gellius

A. A im A nd M ethod . The purpose of the present study is to ascertain the usage of a particular Latin writer (Aulus Gellius) in regard to the position in which he places certain adjectival modifiers. For this the possessive adjectives meus, noster, tuus, vester, suus and the demonstrative adjectives is, idem, hic, ille, iste, ipse have been chosen. A few facts on the position of the demonstrative pronoun is when used in the genitive case as a possessive of the third person are collected in Appendix A. In a language like Latin, with a comparatively free order of words, the relative emphasis or stress of a word is probably the largest single factor in determining its position in the phrase. This study approaches the question of the position of these words primarily from the point of view of emphasis. For determining the degree of emphasis upon these modifiers the entire context of each example is essential. All the occurrences of the above words as adjectives are collected, studied, and classified. Some studies have already been made of the position of these words, but for the most part on the general principles of usage; only a few detailed studies of the usage of particular authors have been made. In the present study special attention is given to the exceptions to the usual rule of position. The matter of the separation of these words from the noun also receives attention. A few comparisons with the usage of other authors are made wherever material was available.