Preprint version Published in «LINGUE E LINGUAGGIO» VIII(2), 171-193 https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1418/30926 Compounds in Russian Valentina Benigni Roma Tre University Francesca Masini Roma Tre University Abstract This paper offers a descriptive survey of compounding in contemporary Russian. First of all, it focuses on the nature of the constituting elements of Russian compounds and on the distinction between compounds and other constructs such as derived words, phrases and phrasal lexemes. Then it provides a detailed typology of Russian compounds according to formal, semantic and usage properties. The survey allows to make some generalisations about Russian compounds as regards major theoretical issues and to compare the results with the available typological data about compounding. Keywords Compounds, Russian, Slavic, stump compounds, parasynthetic compounds, phrasal lexemes. 1. Introduction * This paper is intended as a descriptive survey of compounding in contemporary Russian. Even though compounding is widely described in Russian traditional grammars, a comprehensive linguistic study on Russian compounds (with the possible exception of Townsend 1980) is still missing in the Western literature, at least to the best of our knowledge. This might be partly due to the fact that Russian is a language with an exceptionally rich derivational system that has traditionally been the centre of scholarly attention. This regards both prefixation and suffixation: the former is particularly active within the verbal system, whereas the latter operates in the nominal and adjectival domains. However, compounding is also very rich and productive in Russian and deserves a specific analysis. The paper is organised as follows. In Section 2, we offer an overview of compounding in Russian. We focus on the nature of the constituting units and on the delimitation of compounds proper with respect to derived words, phrases and phrasal lexemes. Section 3 contains a detailed typology of Russian compounds listed as for output category (nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs). For each pattern formal, semantic and usage information is provided. In Section 4 we draw some generalisations about Russian compounds and their classification and we discuss some crucial theoretical points, such as headedness, the interaction with inflection, input and output categories, recursion and productivity. Section 5 contains some conclusive remarks. * We would like to thank Antonietta Bisetto and Sergio Scalise for asking us to take part in this special issue on compounding, Chiara Melloni for help and support, and Claudia Lasorsa for useful comments on Russian data. The article is the result of close collaboration between the two authors, whose names are listed in alphabetical order. For academic purposes only, Valentina Benigni is responsible for sections 1, 3.2, 3.4, 3.5, 4, and Francesca Masini for sections 2, 3.1, 3.3, 5. As regards the transliteration from Russian, we used the International Scholarly System. Abbreviations: ACC = accusative; Adj = adjective; Adv = adverb; ADJLS = adjectivaliser; Conj = conjunction; GEN = genitive; F = feminine; INF = infinitive; INFL = inflection; INSTR = instrumental; LV = linking vowel; M = masculine; N = noun; NEUT = neuter; NOM = nominative; Num = numeral; Part = participle; PL = plural; PREF = prefix; Prep = preposition; Pro = pronoun; SG = singular; SUFF = suffix; V = verb.