Brigitte L.M. Bauer teaches at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. Georges-Jean Pinault is Professor at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris, France.

"There is every sign that this Festschrift will also be referred to in twenty years time, not only for the articles on Indo-European by well-known Indo-Eurpeanistst, but also for some of the other topics covered here, which range from (im)politeness in Molière through witch reference in American Indian languages to Tibeto-Burman. The range and acuity of the contributions is an appropriate tribute to the work of the honorand."James Clackson in: Kratylos, 50, 2005