This book could not have been written without the support of many people. Numerous colleagues have provided critical comments at various stages of this project, some of them even reading subsequent versions of the same chapter. Their feedback was simply invaluable and has made me reformulate my ideas and arguments over and over again. Whoever commented on the text contributed very special insights and taught me that a text can be read and understood (and, yes, also misread and misunderstood) in many different ways. The following friends and colleagues have generously put in their time and energy: Birgit Alber, Harald Baayen, Maria Braun, Hartmut Gembries, Christiane Dalton-Puffer, Sabine Lappe, Martin Neef, and Jörg Meibauer. Needless to say, they are not to blame for the remaining flaws and inadequacies.

I also have to thank my student assistants Guido Bongard and Karina Lückoff, who read chapters, worked on the exercises and helped in various ways in the preparation of the manuscript. Special thanks go to Maria Braun for her meticulous work on the exercises, which made clear to me where things could go wrong and needed revision. Gisela Schwung made life much easier for me during the past two years by her efficient handling of all kinds of organizational matters.