The Oxford History of Romanian Morphology
$10.00Martin Maiden, Adina Dragomirescu, Gabriela Pană Dindelegan, Oana U tă, Rodica Zafiu
English | 2021 | PDF | 542 Pages
ISBNs: B0916FN4F6, 0198829485, 0192564919, 9780198829485, 9780192564917, 978-0198829485, 978-0192564917, 978–0–19–882948–5
This book offers the first comprehensive account of the
development of the Romanian morphological system. Romanian is one of
the most morphologically complex Romance languages, but has remained
relatively understudied compared with better-known languages such as
French and Spanish. Following an introduction that provides an outline
of the history of Romanian, its writing system and major typological
characteristics, and the major patterns of allomorphy, chapters in this
volume explore a range of fascinatingly complex aspects of Romanian
grammar whose structure and history have to date been largely
inaccessible to the English-speaking world. Among the most distinctive
morphological characteristics of Romanian discussed by the authors are
its inflexional case system; the highly unpredictable formation of the
plural; the existence of a non-finite verb form that appears to be the
continuation of the Latin supine; the near-absence of distinctive
subjunctive morphology; and the complex patterns of allomorphy brought
about by successive sound change. The frequently controversial origins
of many of these developments have important implications for broader
historical Romance linguistics and indeed for morphological theory more
generally.
