RUSSIAN: A LINGUISTIC INTRODUCTION. Paul Cubberley. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Pp. xvi + 380. $70.00 cloth, $25.00 paper.

The author intended this book to be an “overall linguistic view of the [Russian] language” that would “provide the understanding of its structure which is essential for potential teachers and specialist users” (p. 9). His attempt to write a work that would appeal to students and teachers of Russian as well as to linguists was successful. The latter will appreciate Cubberley's thorough description of the language; in addition to the standard chapters on phonology, morphology, and word formation, there are detailed sections on the history of Russian (from Indo-European to the present), syntax (often included as part of morphology in descriptions of Russian), Russian dialects, and sociolinguistics (including current trends and predictions for future developments). For those who do not know Russian, all examples are transliterated and glossed. This book will interest any specialist looking for a solid one-volume introduction to Russian.