Acknowledgements

The present book is a slightly modified version of my PhD-thesis which I successfully defended at Ghent University in December 2020. I would like to sincerely thank all those who have contributed with discussions, ideas, and practical assistance.

I would like to express my special thanks to my supervisors Klaas Willems and Ludovic De Cuypere for their unwavering support, encouragement, and expertise. Both were great sources of inspiration for me. Without their knowledge, comments, and critical notes, I would not have become the linguist I am now. I sincerely appreciate the energy and the time they invested to practically help and mentally encourage me.

I also owe my colleagues at the department of General Linguistics a debt of gratitude for their interest in my work and for all the useful discussions.

Finally, I would like to thank my husband Thomas Lefèvre for his continued support and my parents, Siegfried De Vaere and Monique De Boodt to whom this book is dedicated, for educating me and teaching me to always listen to the music of language.