  The Stroh formalism is applied to the analysis of infinitesimal surface wave
propagation in a statically, finitely and homogeneously deformed isotropic
half-space. The free surface is assumed to coincide with one of the principal
planes of the primary strain, but a propagating surface wave is not restricted
to a principal direction. A variant of Taziev's technique [Sov. Phys. Acoust.
35 (1989) 535] is used to obtain an explicit expression of the secular equation
for the surface wave speed, which possesses no restrictions on the form of the
strain energy function. Albeit powerful, this method does not produce a unique
solution and additional checks are necessary. However, a class of materials is
presented for which an exact secular equation for the surface wave speed can be
formulated. This class includes the well-known Mooney-Rivlin model. The main
results are illustrated with several numerical examples.
