The Classification of Compounds

The paper proposes a new classification of compounds, intended to be valid for all languages in the world. Basically, the proposal is grounded on the idea that previous classifications are based on heterogeneous criteria. Therefore, the authors propose that there must be a first level of classification where only the grammatical relation between the two constituents is relevant. On this basis, three classes of componds are proposed: Attributives, Subordinates and Coordinates. In turn, each of these classes can be splitted into endocentric and exocentric compounds. The proposal is tested against all the data provided by previous classifications.