Acknowledgements

I should like warmly to thank the many people who have offered help and guidance at various stages in the writing of this book. Laura Bailey, John Partridge, Ian Watson and Jason Merchant all took time out to offer comments and guidance on early chapter drafts; later drafts were proofread by Jayne Hornsby, Pete Hayes, Jon Kasstan, Geoff Luckman and especially Martin Kane, all of whom made perceptive and extremely helpful observations. Silvia Dobre, Özcan and Cemal Ezel, Sandra Burk, Arthur Keaveney, and Eda and Darren Bennett-Voci kindly helped me with examples from languages with which I am less familiar.

I am indebted to Sam Richardson and the editorial team at Hodder for transforming my manuscript into something clearer, more accessible and (I hope) more enjoyable to read than I could ever have produced unaided, and especially to my eagle-eyed project manager, Anna Stevenson, who proofread the final draft and offered invaluable support in the final stages before publication. It goes without saying that any remaining errors, misunderstandings or infelicities are entirely my own. Finally, I am grateful to the late Ian George Sully, who kindly helped me find examples for Chapter 11, but tragically died before the book was published. Rest in peace, old friend: we miss you.