Acknowledgements

I would like to express my profound gratitude to all those who have contributed to bringing this project to fruition. First and foremost, I am deeply indebted to the exceptional Monash librarian team – Susie Phillips, Mitchell Reid, Jenny Fafeita, Mia Goodwin, and former librarian Veronica Delafosse – whose expertise and dedication were instrumental throughout this journey. Special thanks to Copyright Adviser Megan Deacon for her invaluable guidance.

I extend my sincere appreciation to the two anonymous reviewers whose thoughtful and critical feedback significantly enhanced the quality of this work. I am also grateful to all my students who provided valuable feedback on early drafts, helping to shape and refine this work.

This manuscript has also benefited immensely from the meticulous attention of Dr Sara Kitaoji, who undertook the considerable task of proofreading over 100,000 words across all chapters.

Additionally, I have been fortunate to receive generous support from the academic community. I would like to extend my special thanks to Dr Thomas Budinette and Dr Wes Robertson from Macquarie University for their invaluable feedback on the textbook, particularly their insights on gender perspectives, which greatly enriched the material on Japanese pronouns and gender.

I am especially grateful to Associate Professor Beatrice Trefalt and Associate Professor Jeremy Breaden from the Japanese Studies Program for their unwavering support. Their belief in this ambitious project, assistance with the Council of Australian University Librarians grant application, and consistent encouragement were instrumental to its realisation. This project simply would not have been possible without their support.