Despite renewed interest in morphological issues in recent times,
the diminutive has largely been ignored, due, in part, to the lack of
a comprehensive introduction to the topic. The present thesis aims
to remedy this situation. The diminutive is studied by considering
different aspects separately; thus there are chapters dealing with
meaning (Chapter 3), form (Chapter 4), the use of sounds (Chapter 5),
history (Chapter 7) and the way in which diminutives could be integrated
into a grammar (Chapter 6). At every stage the arguments are linked
to current theories and models in linguistics. The discussion is
based on data from over fifty languages (see Appendix A). Although
most of this material has been collected from written sources in various
languages, so much data specifically on diminutives has never before
been available in one place and in one language. Such a large and
varied data-base has made it possible to use a more universal approach
as patterns and trends emerge which could not have been recognised
in a more limited study on a single language or a small group of closely
related languages. These universal trends are dealt with specifically
in Chapter 8. Moreover, a number of new facts about diminutives
in individual languages have emerged from this study. In this respect
the findings concerning modern Standard English are perhaps of particular
interest. A number of maps accompany the text. One of these,
introducing Appendix A, attempts for the first time to present the
synthetic diminutive as it manifests itself in the languages of Western
and Central Europe
