Two Men Talking in a Tavern (detail), Jean Charles Meissonier (1848-1917)

I'm a cognitive scientist who studies and writes about language and communication.
​

• ​How can people learn a second language in adulthood?

 

• What makes cross-cultural communication difficult?​

 

• ​How does our language ability change as we get older?

My first three books examined these questions. I wrote them with a former student who now works as a diplomat for the U.S. Department of State.

​Another book, about irony and sarcasm, was published by the MIT Press in 2020.

My latest books, Failure to Communicate and Linguistic Fingerprints, were released in 2023. Please take a look under the "Books" tab for more information!