René de Saussure and the theory of word formation

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This volume features two works by René de Saussure, the younger brother of Ferdinand de Saussure, focusing on a general theory of words and their structure. Originating from René's interest in Esperanto, these essays aim to provide a comprehensive account of word formation in natural language. Presented in the original French with facing English translations, the text includes insights into René's life and follows with essays discussing the Esperantist context of his analysis (by Marc van Oostendorp), the contemporary relevance of his morphological theory (by Stephen Anderson), and the semantic theory underlying his work (by Louis de Saussure). Despite their publication in 1911 and 1919, these works have largely remained unknown to general linguistics scholars, though they are recognized by Esperantists. They articulate a theory of morphemic analysis, primarily using data from French, complemented by examples from German, English, and other Indo-European languages. René's perspective on word formation contrasts sharply with his brother's, who emphasized the relational structure of complex words over their decomposition into smaller units. This difference highlights fundamental issues in current theories of word structure, making the works relevant to ongoing discussions in linguistics.