Keywords

Book review, Monograph, processes, word-formation

Abstract

In this monograph Stela Manova dicusses word-formation processes ("techniques" in her terminology) based on data from several Slavic languages: Bulgarian, Russian, and Serbian/Croatian. Manova presents theoretical support and a wealth of data to argue that conversion and subtraction operate similarly to other morphological techniques; that is to say, they operate in both derivation and inflection, have prototypical and non-prototypical instances, can be applied to different bases (words, stems, and roots) and compete with other, more iconic, morphological processes. While some of her examples could be disputed, she presents ample data and discussion to support her claims. This work will be of use to morphologist, Slavic linguists, and anyone interested in word formation.

Original Publication Citation

Parker, Jeff. 2012. Review of Understanding Morphological Rules, by Stela Manova (Springer 2011). Canadian Slavonic Papers 54(1-2): 265-266. (by invitation)