Acknowledgements

Looking back nearly ten years after the initial data collection for this project, I remain very grateful to my Ecuadorian research assistants and their friends and families for so generously sharing their conversations with me. My friend and colleague José Luis Santana and his wife Paola played a crucial role in connecting me to the speech community, and in particular, to Pilar Bastidas, who graciously hosted me for six weeks during the summer of 2006. I’ve had many friends cheer me on from the sidelines throughout the many stages of the writing process; they include Mary Copple, Stephanie Kerschbaum, Damián Wilson, Eleanor Hogan, my colleagues in the Spanish Department at Gettysburg College, and my mentors Catherine Travis and Rena Torres Cacoullos. This work never could have been accomplished without the support of my family, especially my father, Richard Dumont, who made it possible for me to retreat into writing mode while keeping my household afloat. My son Alex provided me with much joy, laughter, love and affection, which keeps me centered. Lastly, two anonymous reviewers and the editorial board provided very helpful feedback and helped shape this book into the present form.