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

Description

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.

Olga Kagan is a lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

'The scale hypothesis brings new life into the perennial discussion of whether it is possible to assign verbal prefixes with a uniform meaning despite their apparent polysemy. Kagan succeeds with her scalar approach in formulating a precise semantics for various prefixes in Russian. This important contribution to the field will certainly shape the discussion among semanticists and Slavicists alike in the years to come.' Atle Gronn, Universitetet i Oslo '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)