Slavia Meridionalis 27
Topic: SLAVIC WORD FORMATION: METHODS AND TENDENCIES
The 27th volume of Slavia Meridionalis will be devoted to a range of issues concerning Slavic word formation. We welcome contributions offering different perspectives – from diachronic to synchronic – including derivational descriptions of individual Slavic languages as well as comparative and contrastive studies involving two or more languages.
Contemporary Slavic word-formation is characterized by a variety of methods for describing linguistic material. Researchers employ different means of data comparison, diverse forms of explication, and distinct word-formation metalanguages – all influenced by ongoing developments within linguistics as an academic discipline, including changes within word-formation studies themselves.
In current Slavic word-formation discourses, we can observe the interpenetration of ideas from other linguistic disciplines, theories, and methodological approaches developed outside traditional word-formation research. This diversity of descriptive frameworks undoubtedly contributes to the advancement of word-formation as a field of linguistic inquiry. This situation invites reflection on the evolution of derivational methodology – its past, present, and prospective directions – in ways that both acknowledge established achievements and address newly emerging tendencies in word-formation research. We welcome contributions presenting a variety of methodological perspectives and topics.
Among the questions we aim to address in this volume are:
Current tendencies in Slavic word formation
What new directions of derivational development can be observed in the contemporary word-formation systems of Slavic languages (in both standard languages and dialects)? How do social and technological changes, globalization, and digital communication influence derivational productivity, the creation of neologisms, and the emergence of new word-formation models? What major theoretical paradigms currently shape research on Slavic word formation? How are traditional models of derivation applied alongside newer approaches, such as cognitive or discourse-based ones?
In this context, we are also interested in phenomena related to linguistic purism and language policy – how do normative efforts to regulate language affect the shaping of derivational models, affix productivity, the choice between native and borrowed derivational elements, and the perception of word-formation innovation in public and scholarly discourse?
The status of word formation within linguistics
What position does word formation currently occupy among other linguistic subdisciplines? How does it relate to areas of linguistic description such as morphology, lexicology, syntax, or etymology? We encourage discussions addressing both the methodological integration and the theoretical autonomy of word-formation research.
Word-formation metalanguages and terminology
We invite reflections on the need for terminological harmonization or modernization, especially in the context of cross-linguistic and interdisciplinary research. Contributions may explore how the choice of metalanguage shapes the analysis and interpretation of derivational phenomena. How consistent and transparent is the terminology used in Slavic derivational studies? Are there conceptual or terminological gaps between national linguistic traditions? What differences exist between derivational descriptive frameworks?
Comparative and contrastive derivational studies
We encourage the submission of both synchronic and diachronic studies that reveal the shared heritage as well as the differences within Slavic word-formation systems. Particularly valued will be papers that combine empirical analysis with theoretical reflection.
Diachronic development and grammaticalization
We invite contributions that trace the historical evolution of derivational patterns, affix productivity, and morphological reanalysis, as well as the interplay between derivation and grammaticalization processes. How have changes in syntactic and semantic organization affected the derivational potential of certain morphemes or word classes? What long-term tendencies can be identified in the shift from derivational transparent formations to lexicalized structures?
Authors are invited to submit papers in English or in any Slavic language, up to 40,000 characters with spaces (including bibliography). All the submissions should present original ideas not published elsewhere. They will be reviewed by two anonymous reviewers.
We will also consider publishing papers in English outside the main topic – in the “Imponderabilia” section, intended for contributions addressing particularly important linguistic issues within the thematic scope of the journal.
Slavia Meridionalis is a multidisciplinary Open Access journal presenting research on the South Slavic countries and their connections with other cultural regions. It is indexed in Scopus (Elsevier) and Emerging Sources Citation Index (Clarivate Analytics), as well as CEEOL, DOAJ, EBSCO, ERIH Plus, Google Scholar, and other databases.
- Deadline for submission: 31 March 2026
- Planned date of publication: 2027
Detailed information about the journal and guidelines for authors can be found on the journal’s website.
Questions should be addressed to the editor-in-charge of the volume:
- Pawel Kowalski, Institute of Slavic Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences
pawel[dot]kowalski[at]ispan[dot]edu[dot]pl
