This new series of English-language handbooks is devoted to topics in Germanic linguistics and the entire Germanic linguistic area. The aim of the series is to provide accessible and up-to-date information on the Germanic languages, their study, and their use in all important dimensions and applications. It offers researchers and students a detailed look at the chosen topics and provides a compact means of orientation in their study of Germanic linguistics. The volumes emphasize an empirical approach to their individual topics. The series is edited by Ingo Reich (Saarland University) and Richard Wiese (Marburg University), assisted by an international editorial board consisting of leading specialists in the various disciplines and languages: Artemis Alexiadou (Berlin), Cathrine Fabricius-Hansen (Oslo), Mark Louden (Madison, Wisconsin), and Marga Reis (Tübingen).