Welcome to my website! I'm a linguist and freelance writer living in Eugene, Oregon.
My books explore the rich history of American English, including the origins of common words and expressions, America's bumptious tradition of political insults, and the centuries-long fight over what counts as proper grammar. My most recent book, The United States of English, follows the trajectory of American English from the first word borrowings of the British colonists to the latest trends of the twenty-first century.
My articles cover a broad range of topics, from the politics of dictionaries to how OK became a word. My byline has appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, American History, Time.com, Christian Science Monitor, Elks Magazine, Entrepreneur.com, Writer's Digest, and The Writer, among other places.
If you'd like to arrange a reading or talk, please get in touch. I'll look forward to hearing from you.