PERSISTENCE OF THE LATIN ACCENT IN THE NOMINAL ...

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank the University of Florida for funding through the University of
Florida Alumni Graduate Fellowship initiative which enabled me to become a full time student
while completing coursework toward the doctorate. My home institution, the University of
South Florida, where I am a full time instructor, permitted flexible scheduling of my classes and
reduced employment during the time I was taking classes. As I began the dissertation writing
phase I received a Personnel Development Leave for spring semester 2008 at the University of
South Florida which gave me the necessary impetus to write the preliminary chapters and begin
data analysis.
Coursework at the University of Florida provided a good foundation for the work on my
dissertation. I would like to acknowledge perspectives gained through coursework in historical
French linguistics with Jean Casagrande and George Diller, and in particular coursework taken
with members of my dissertation committee: Hispanic linguistics with David Pharies;
phonological theory with Caroline Wiltshire; historical and Indo-European linguistics with Gary
Miller; and applied linguistics with Joaquim Camps. Interaction with fellow students with whom
I share common interests provided an opportunity to test ideas and pursue new directions. I am
grateful for the ongoing dialog with Gary Baker and the path forged by his 2004 dissertation on
palatal phenomena in Spanish phonology.
I would like to express my appreciation to my husband, Enrique, for his unwavering
support, encouragement, and acceptance of my continued distraction as concomitant of my
pursuit of educational goals. My son, Sebastian, has been a willing participant in conversations
on various phonological phenomena and made me realize that enthusiasm for my discipline can
be contagious.
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