If we have a second order quasilinear PDE of the form

$A\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x^2}+B\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial y^2}+2C\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x\partial y}+ lower\,\, order \,\, terms=0$

where $A,B,C$ are functions of $x,y,u$,

then the equation is called elliptic if $det=\begin{vmatrix}A &C \\C & B\end{vmatrix}>0$, parabolic if $det=0$ and hyperbolic if $det<0$.

Now what happens if we have a system of two coupled PDEs of the form

$A\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x^2}+B\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial y^2}+2C\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x\partial y}+D\frac{\partial^2 v}{\partial x^2}+E\frac{\partial^2 v}{\partial y^2}+2F\frac{\partial^2 v}{\partial x\partial y}+ lower\,\, order \,\, terms=0 \\ G\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x^2}+H\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial y^2}+2K\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x\partial y}+L\frac{\partial^2 v}{\partial x^2}+M\frac{\partial^2 v}{\partial y^2}+2N\frac{\partial^2 v}{\partial x\partial y}+ lower\,\, order \,\, terms=0$

with $A,B,C,...$ being functions of $x,y,u,v$.

Does it make sense to construct the determinant

$det=\begin{vmatrix}A &C & D&F\\C & B&F&E\\G &K & L&N\\K &H & N&M\end{vmatrix}$

and investigate its sign, or something like that?