Publications

While significant advances have been made in recent years, many aspects of Galician studies have yet to receive the attention and analysis they deserve. One of the most under-represented areas in Galician language research is that of syntax and lexis, despite growing acknowledgement of its importance by experts in other languages. Following decades of omission and neglect, Xosé Ramón Freixeiro Mato’s new monograph on the diminutive in Galician comes as a welcome and long-needed addition to the field.

As previous studies have shown, for many people (Galicians and non-Galicians, speakers of the language and non-speakers alike), one of the defining characteristics of Galician is the profusion of diminutive forms at all levels of the language, from everyday speech to the heights of lyrical poetry. Freixeiro Mato’s analysis begins with a general overview of the diminutive in relation to other lexical structures, before homing in on the distinctively Galician –iño suffix.