Curriculum Vitae

A list of my publications and presentations can be viewed on the Publications page.

A list of my media appearances can be viewed on the Media page.

Education

2021
Ph.D. in Linguistics, University of California, Santa Barbara
- dissertation: Lexical polyfunctionality in discourse: A quantitative corpus-based approach
- advisor: Marianne Mithun
2016
M.A. in Linguistics, University of California, Santa Barbara
- thesis: The cohesive function of prosody in Ékegusií (Kisii) narratives: A functional-typological approach
- advisor: Carol Genetti
2011
LSA Linguistic Institute (Boulder, CO)
2008
B.A. in Linguistics & Philosophy, College of William & Mary
- double major, magna cum laude
2007
School for International Training (SIT) (Nairobi, Kenya)
- program: Development, Health, & Society
- independent research project: Language change and variation in Mombasa: Recent trends in Kimvita Swahili
2006
School for International Training (SIT) (Mombasa, Kenya)
- program: Swahili Studies & Coastal Cultures
- independent research project: What’s in a word? Code-switching in Mombasa Swahili

Work Experience

2022–present
Linguist, Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana
2020–present
Content Creator, Linguistic Discovery
2021–2022
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Alberta Language Technology Lab (ALTLab)
2018–2020
Assistant Editor, Custom Languages, Rosetta Stone
2014–2020
Teaching Assistant, Department of Linguistics, University of California, Santa Barbara
2014–2015
Research Assistant, Prof. Carol Genetti, University of California, Santa Barbara
2012–2013
Editor, Commercial Languages, Rosetta Stone
2011–2012
Associate Researcher, Research Labs, Rosetta Stone
2008–2011
Editor, Endangered Language Program, Rosetta Stone
2007–2008
Intern, Endangered Language Program, Rosetta Stone
2006
Spanish Instructor, Nielsen Builders
2004–2006
Lab Assistant, Language Lab, College of William & Mary
2002–2004
Latin Instructor, Bridgewater Home School Unit

Awards & Honors

2020
Documenting Endangered Languages (DEL) Grant, National Science Foundation (NSF) / National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Principal Investigator
Monica Macaulay (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
My Contribution
Data Management Plan, Lead Developer
Title
Comparative database of the derivational morphology of a language family
Amount
$324,209
Description
A database of morphological components in Algonquian languages.
Grant ID
1953103
2019
Best Student Presentation Award, Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA)
Purpose
For my talk, ‘Ergativity in Chitimacha’, presented at SSILA 2019, New York City, January 3–6.
2018
Doctoral Student Travel Grant, University of California, Santa Barbara
Purpose
Attendance at the Linguistic Society of America Annual Conference.
Amount
$900
2015
Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), National Science Foundation (NSF)
Purpose
Dissertation research on the typology of lexical categories.
Amount
$34,000 stipend + $12,000 tuition remission per year x 3 years
Grant ID
1144085
2015
2^nd Place, University of California Grad Slam
Purpose
UC-wide competition for the best 3-minute research talk by a graduate student.
Title
Renaissance on the bayou: Revitalizing the Chitimacha language
Amount
$3,000 prize
2015
1^st Place, University of California, Santa Barbara Grad Slam
Purpose
Campus-wide competition for the best 3-minute research talk by a graduate student.
Title
Renaissance on the bayou: Revitalizing the Chitimacha language
Amount
$5,000 prize
2014
LSA CoLang Scholarship
Purpose
For attendence at the 2014 Institute on Collaborative Language Research (CoLang).
Amount
$375 towards registration costs
2014
Honorable Mention, Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), National Science Foundation (NSF)
2013
Chancellor’s Fellowship, University of California, Santa Barbara
Purpose
Central campus fellowship to attend the M.A./Ph.D. program in linguistics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Amount
$24,000/yr. x 3 yrs., plus $5,000 summer research funding in the first year
2006
Boren Scholarship, National Security Education Program (NSEP)
Purpose
For study abroad in Kenya. (Was unable to use this scholarship because a travel warning made the funds unusable in Kenya at the time.)
Amount
$20,000 over 2 semesters
2004
Excellence in Language Scholarship, Turner Ashby High School
Purpose
For outstanding academic performance in foreign languages.
Amount
$500 towards college tuition

Teaching

Click the name of a course for additional details.

Language, Race, & Ethnicity (Teaching Assistant, University of California, Santa Barbara)
Linguistic practices of major ethnoracial groups in the United States, including African Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans; examination of the linguistic effects of immigration and colonialism; bilingualism, code switching, style shifting, language shift, and heritage language learning; linguistic interaction and contact between ethnoracial groups; language as a resource for ethnoracial identity; linguistic racism; linguistic activism.
- Fall 2020 (2 sections)
Language & Life (Teaching Assistant, University of California, Santa Barbara)
The diversity and history of languages; their norms, conventions, and written traditions; the role of language in culture and identity; language rights and multilingualism, and the implications of technology for language use. Focused especially on linguistics as a science and the scientific method, as well as natural vs. artificial languages.
- Spring 2017 (2 sections)
- Spring 2016 (2 sections)
Introduction to Language & Linguistics (Teaching Assistant, University of California, Santa Barbara)
Introduction to the scientific study of language: The sounds of language; word and sentence structure; semantics and pragmatics; discourse and conversational speech; the social and cultural functions of language; language change and the reconstruction of languages at earlier stages.
- Summer 2014 (1 section)
Phonetics (Teaching Assistant, University of California, Santa Barbara)
An introduction to the articulatory and acoustic properties of speech sounds. Survey of speech sounds found in the languages of the world. Emphasis on ear training and transcription using the International Phonetic Alphabet.
- Fall 2017 (2 sections)

Professional Service

Extramural Service

2013–2020
Webmaster, Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA)
2015–2017
Advisory Council Member, Institute for Collaborative Language Documentation
2011–2014
Webmaster, Linguistic Society of America (LSA) Committee on Endangered Languages and their Preservation (CELP)

Reviewing

I have reviewed for the following publications, presses, and organizations, as well as miscellaneous chapters in various edited volumes.

Endangered Language Fund (ELF)
International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC)
Language Science Press (proofreader)
Libertarian Papers
Linguistic Typology at the Crossroads (LTC)
NSF / NEH Documenting Endangered Languages Program
Proceedings of the Algonquian Conference
Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA)

Professional Memberships

2008–present
Association for Linguistic Typology (ALT)
2008–present
Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL)
2008–present
Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
2008–present
Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA)
2013–2021
Association of Contemporary African Linguistics (ACAL)

Fieldwork & Descriptive Work

2008–present
Chitimacha (Sitimaxa), Chitimacha Tribal Reservation, Charenton, LA
Ongoing preparation of a Chitimacha dictionary, text collection, and grammar based on archival sources. Completed Rosetta Stone language-learning software for the language in 2010.
2015–2017
Tlahuapa Mixtec (Tuʼun Ndáʼbi), Santa Barbara, CA
One-year graduate-level field methods class taught by Prof. Eric Campbell, followed by work compiling a lexical database.
2014
Gusii (Ékegusií), Kisii, Kenya
Two months of fieldwork in a rural community near Kisii Town in southwestern Kenya, recording conversation, traditional songs, and folktales.
2014
North Slope Iñupiaq (Iñupiatun), Anchorage, AK
Two weeks of elicitation with a native speaker of the Point Hope dialect.
2009–2011
North Slope Iñupiaq (Iñupiatun), remote
Daily online elicitation sessions for the purpose of creating Rosetta Stone language-learning software.
2008–2010
Navajo (Diné bizaad), Navajo Nation + remote
Daily elicitation sessions for the purpose of creating Rosetta Stone language-learning software. Included both remote fieldwork and numerous field visits, generally for 2 weeks at a time.
2007
Turkish (Türkçe), Williamsburg, VA
A one-semester undergraduate descriptive linguistics / field methods course.
2006–2007
Kimvita Swahili (Kimvita), Mombasa, Kenya & Nairobi, Kenya
Two semesters researching language shift and endangerment in the Kimvita (Mombasa) dialect of Swahili. Worked primarily with youth speakers collecting and analyzing texts.

Languages Spoken & Studied

Name	Autonym	Glottocode	ISO 639-3 Code	Proficiency
Chitimacha	Sitimaxa	`chit1248`	`ctm`	structural knowledge
Cree	nêhiyawêwin	`cree1272`	`cre`	structural knowledge
French	français	`stan1290`	`fra`	beginner
Gusii	Ékegusií	`gusi1247`	`guz`	structural knowledge
Iñupiaq	Iñupiatun	`nort2944`	`esi`	structural knowledge
Latin	lingua Latina	`lati1261`	`lat`	intermediate
Mohawk	Kanienʼkéha	`moha1258`	`moh`	structural knowledge
Navajo	Diné bizaad	`nava1243`	`nav`	structural knowledge
Luiseño	Chamtéela	`luis1254`	`lui`	structural knowledge
Spanish	español	`stan1288`	`spa`	advanced
Swahili	Kiswahili	`swah1253`	`swh`	advanced

Software Skills & Proficiencies

Skills

Database Management & Design
Open Source Project Management
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
Text Processing
Web App Development (full stack)

Programming Languages

CSS (and preprocessors / postprocessors)
HTML (and various templating languages)
LaTeX
JavaScript / Node
Praat scripting
R
SQL