This reader is part of a five-volume-edition and comprises an in-depth presentation of the state of the art in word-formation. Volume 1 focuses on the historical and theoretical foundations of the field. The diachronic origins are presented that give rise to different theoretical perspectives while converging on the basic units that characterize the organization of lexical knowledge and the processes involved in the formation of new words.

Peter O. Müller, Erlangen-Nürnberg; Susan Olsen, Berlin; Franz Rainer, Wien, Austria.