Scalarity in the Verbal Domain
The Case of Verbal Prefixation in Russian

Proposes a new analytical approach to the semantics of Russian verbal prefixes, using modern theoretical tools to explore wide-ranging data.

Olga Kagan (Author)

9781107092624, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 October 2015

278 pages, 21 b/w illus. 12 tables
23.6 x 16 x 2.2 cm, 0.55 kg

'Most noticeably, the monograph is written in a clear, accessible language, it is perfectly structured, and the argumentation is thorough and transparent. The work is based on two semantic approaches: formal and cognitive. This makes the potential audience of the book fairly large and versatile.' Eugenia Romanova, The Linguist List (linguistlist.org)

Verbal prefixes in Slavic languages remain an intricate and puzzling phenomenon, raising questions about whether their behavior is governed by a systematic pattern, and if their attachment is subject to any kind of uniform semantic system. Olga Kagan offers a new unified analysis of Russian verbal prefixes which combines a formal semantic approach with detailed discussion of data. The book addresses two vital issues, both of which play an important role in modern linguistic research: the role of scalarity in natural language and, more specifically, within the verbal domain; and Slavic verbal prefixation. Accessibly written and illustrated with numerous examples, Scalarity in the Verbal Domain is important reading for researchers and students of formal semantics, cognitive linguistics and Slavic languages.

1. Scalarity and verbal prefixation
2. The prefixes po-, na- and pro-
3. The prefixes do-, nedo- and pri-
4. The prefixes pod- and pere-
5. The prefixes ot- and za-
6. Prefixes characterized by stronger restrictions
7. The scale hypothesis: principles and parameters
8. Prefixational genitive
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Grammar, syntax & morphology [CFK], Semantics, discourse analysis, etc [CFG], Language acquisition [CFDC], Sociolinguistics [CFB]