This paper examines the philosophical and epistemological presuppositions underlying linguistic research, focusing on the application of different linguistic models to the analysis of compounding in Greek. It investigates the extent to which the adoption of particular linguistic models is informed by an explicit awareness of their philosophical and epistemological foundations and the methodological commitments that follow from them. To this end, it identifies and critically discusses the epistemological paradigms underpinning selected approaches to Greek morphology, including traditional analyses, the lexicalist approach and grammaticalization theory. The discussion draws on Itkonen’s (2020) tripartite distinction among three models that have shaped linguistic theorizing: Newtonian mechanics, Darwinism and the axiomatic method. Within this framework, the paper evaluates the analytical affordances and limitations of the approaches under consideration and explores how their underlying assumptions shape linguistic description and explanation. It argues that explicit engagement with the philosophy of linguistics is essential to the critical evaluation and informed application of linguistic models, as well as to a clearer understanding of the theoretical commitments underlying morphological analysis.