In his introduction, Clackson says that he set out to write a book focusing on argumentation and theory rather than presenting masses of data- and he does just that. He focuses on ideas and processes, making this a very clear and easy to read book. The high point is surely the explanation of accent-ablaut variation in nouns, although his treatments of phonology and general morphology are solid. Other parts of the book, namely verbal morphology and syntax, were also very informative although they might have benefited with a couple more sections in each (a clear discussion of analogy for verbs, and generative approaches to syntax). But throughout, the emphasis on focused argumentation makes the book quite followable: Clackson is always talking to you, not writing on the board, so to speak.



The best part about this book is perhaps the exercises. The book at first sight seems not only to avoid masses of data, but perhaps to be data-deficient, with incomplete paradigms and key forms missing. But Clackson usually gives precisely enough information to round out reconstructions in the exercises, and as a student I appreciated the chance to work through things myself (although he's of course done the hard part by selecting and presenting the forms and guiding you through the tricky parts). Obviously this 'hidden data' that you have to work for makes the book less useful as a reference (something it's not claiming to be), but it increases its value as an introduction vastly by allowing the reader to actively engage with the material.

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