Customer Reviews

Morphology (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics)

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Peter Matthews' textbook (1st edition from 1974) is definitely THE classic textbook on morphology for its time and context (late 20th century post-Chomsky American linguistics). Unlike other introductory morphology textbooks, it places little emphasis on the latest theories of the month, focusing instead on the major problems faced in describing systematically the structure of words in various languages. It does this through extended, careful examination of concrete language data. Yet at the same time, the book has historically played an important role in the development of morphology in the US during the last 30 years, by articulating the basics of the Word-and-Paradigm approach to morphology as an alternative to the traditional structuralist dichotomy (Item-and-Arrangement vs. Item-and-Process).

This is just the best place for a student of morphology to start.

I hated having to use this text in my morphology class. It does cover all of the major issues and concepts, but does so in roundabout way. I often found the book confusing and had to reference online resources to make sense of it.

If you are going to be teaching a course in morphology, please look for a book that is more student friendly.