'This is an important book. I've been working on the empirical and theoretical issues treated here my whole career and I learned a lot from Iosad's discussion. It provides real progress on and refinement of the long-problematic notion of 'drift' and applies that to prehistoric Northern Europe in a sober and compelling way.' Joe Salmons, Professor of Language Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison

'Immensely learned, empirically hefty, theoretically cutting-edge, Iosad's rethinking of phonological areality is utterly compelling.' Ricardo Bermúdez-Otero, University of Manchester

'The book offers a comprehensive case study of language contact in north-western Europe, contextualized within linguistic typology, traditional views, and contemporary theoretical frameworks. Iosad brings together both extensively documented and lesser-studied languages to present a compelling account of the synchronic and diachronic dimensions of pre-aspiration as an areal feature. Finally - and refreshingly - the book is a genuine pleasure to read.' Darya Kavitskaya, Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures and of Linguistics, UC Berkeley