Oppositions and Lexematic Functions of the Adjectives ŠMN, DŠN and BRY’ (Positive Pole), and ʼMLL, ʼN(W)Š (Negative Pole) in the Lexical Fields of the Adjectives of “Health” and “Illness” in Ancient Hebrew

The present study analyses three marginal adjectives relating to the lexical field of health and illness in ancient Hebrew: šmn, dšn and bry’ inserted in the positive pole which indicate good health. This study begins with the analysis of all their occurrences in all functional languages identified in Hebrew. Due to their changes of use and their opposition in the various functional languages it has been possible to prove that these adjectives rarely have the distinctive feature of health in the strictest of the word. Most of the occurrences reveal a use with enallage of the adjectives and therefore the possibility of identifying a distinctive feature related to 'harbinger of good health' in most of the functional languages. The collection and the examination of the data carried out in the classematic analysis make it possible to organize the paradigmatic structures of the lexical field.