During the twelve or so years that I have been working on this research I have built up many debts that I will probably never be able to repay. In this brief acknowledgment to the many people who have helped and supported me through the pleasure and pain of research, I offer my sincere thanks. There are many people who I would like to thank by name here and in particular the members of Wards 5 and 8 whose permission, patience, help, and friendship made this research possible. Of course, for reasons of anonymity, I cannot name them here and hence can only offer my sincere gratitude and thanks to these two wards as a whole. I also offer my deepest thanks to my research assistants, who were also members of these wards. Similarly, this research and this book would not have been possible without the support, patience and good humor offered by Eni and our two sons Jery and Marcel, and my mother, father, two brothers and in-laws, all of whom have regularly reminded me that there are other things to life than just sitting in front of a computer.

I am indebted to Peter Burns – my teacher, friend, and colleague – who first introduced me to Indonesia and Indonesian in 1989. I am also indebted to Andrew Lian, who first made me think about the nature of language. An even larger debt of gratitude is owed to Paul Black – also my teacher, friend and colleague – who provided early guidance in my research and writing efforts.