Introduction

Word-formation is the branch of linguistics that studies the nature and circumstances surrounding the coining of new complex lexemes. This field of research has been a source of fascination to scholars for centuries – descriptions regarding the mechanisms of lexical innovation of Classical Sanskrit existed already in the 4th century BCE. A number of controversial issues have traditionally underlain the discipline and, despite the efforts directed at solving them, many remain a matter of debate to the present day. As happened in other areas of linguistics, the 20th century witnessed a revolution in word-formation, thanks to Saussure’s writings and to monographs like Chomsky (1957), Dokulil (1962) and Marchand (1969). If one had to name a distinctive attribute of modern word-formation, it would probably be the non-predominance of a single linguistic theory.This volume was conceived as a reflection of the current trends in word-formation, and has therefore tried to embrace a variety of theoretical frameworks, viewpoints and languages.