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Me, smiling happily at the camera with a field of sunflowers in the background.

Hello, I’m Danny! 👋🏼 I am a linguist. 🗣️

I work to document and revitalize endangered languages, while studying the crosslinguistic patterns we see across the world’s languages (a field known as linguistic typology).

I work primarily with the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana to help them revitalize their once-dormant language. We are using archival materials to produce a modern dictionary and grammar of the language.

I run the Digital Linguistics (DLx) project, which provides data formats and web-based tools for working with linguistic data.

I am an avid science communicator, creating educational videos about language and linguistics for popular audiences on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Check out the Linguistic Discovery website for more!

I earned my M.A. and Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and my B.A. in linguistics and philosophy from the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Prior to and during graduate school I worked for Rosetta Stone’s Endangered Language Program to create language-learning software with Native American communities. After graduate school I worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Alberta’s Language Technology Lab (ALTLab).

During my career, I have worked with the Chitimacha, Plains Cree, Gusii, Iñupiaq, Luiseño, Mixtec, Navajo, and Swahili language communities.