In a way the book is almost too good. Being thorough in the subjects it touches upon and showing internal consistency, it is very nearly a textbook that one could wish for a measure of rewriting in order to go the whole way and make it really so.

- Margaret J-M Sonmez, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, on Linguist List 14-1841.,

This book is a varied and absorbing collection which is a must for every researcher with interest in TOA theories.

- Daniel Z. Kadar, Eotvos Lorand University, Hungary,

In conclusion, I would like to say that 'Diachronic Perspectives' is a real asset to the study of address forms. Many different perspectives are brought together and the introduction provides a comprehensive and clear overview of the field. The editors put effort into relating papers to each other both by describing general issues in their introduction as well as by adding cross-references to papers with the same topic. They give a clear overview of recuring themes such as motivations in the choice of primary sources and the interpretation of pronoun switching, retractable address systems and norm deviation. The book also reveals problematic issues in address term research such as the issue of possible generalizations on data research.

- Suzanne Aalberse, Amsterdam, in Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur, Band 127:2 (2005),