I would like to thank the University of the Pacific for their invitation to lecture on the topic related to this book. It was the fruitful discussions I had with the fine attendees in Stockton, CA that planted the seeds first. My thanks to Larry Behrendt, Chad T. Carmichael, Bruce Chilton, April DeConick, Mark Goodacre, Stephanie Barbé Hammer, Joel Kaminsky, Chris Keith, Anne Lapidus Lerner, Joel N. Lohr, Dan Melligan, Christopher W. Skinner, Caroline T. Schroeder, Eric Thurman, and John G. Turner who graciously read portions of the book and made helpful suggestions for improvement. I also extend my gratitude to Ovidiu Creangă for providing me with an early draft of his forthcoming book. Any deficiencies that remain belong to me alone.
I’m also deeply grateful for the beautiful and discerning eyes of my wife Sarah. Her willingness to fight for the aesthetics of grammar and against the evils of over-hyphenation has made me a better communicator. Finally, I want to thank my five siblings, to whom this book is dedicated. They have been the best Arab, French, African-American, Italians that anyone could ask over for Sunday lunch.