This book owes its . existence to the encouragement and help of many others. In the first place I mention Prof. Dr. A. ]. B. N. Reichling, who was my supervisor at Amsterdam University and who from the beginning helped me on, through his most stimulating teaching and above all through his encouragement, his friendly advice and his sincere interest. The readiness with which he was always prepared to spend hours and hours of his valuable time on the discussion of the many problems with which the study of Glossematics confronts one, has often inspired me with wonder and deep gratitude. It is hardly possible to do justice in a preface to a supervisor to whom one owes so much, and from whose keen insight one has learned so much. One can only feel profoundly thankful for having been brought up in the linguistic atmosphere which Prof. Reichling creates about him, an atmosphere characterized by a persistent desire for an empirical approach to the facts of language, which desire he knows how to instill into his pupils. It is with some hesitation that I proceed to thanking the Danish scholars to whom I owe so much. The hesitation is due to an awareness that probably this work bears no proportion to all the trouble they took in my behalf. Above all I am extremely grateful to Prof. Dr.
