This book argues that language systems determine language use to a greater extent than is generally assumed. The author demonstrates how typological characteristics of a language determine the most general aspects of our stylistic preferences.

1. Setting the Scene 2. Questions of Order 3. Complex Sentences 4. In Favour of Primary Relations 5. Structural Weight 6. Grammaticalized Clues 7. Shifting Boundaries 8. Relativizing Optimality

Monika Doherty began her career with the study of English, Russian and General Linguistics in Berlin (PhD in 1969, Professor in 1981). She concentrated on semantics, later pragmatics, and translation. In 1990 she was appointed Professor for Translation Theory. Two major publications contributed to her success with a wider readership: Übersetzen (2nd ed. 1997) and Das grammatische Varieté (4th ed. 1998).