Publications 2002-2009
My Favorite Suit (2009)
In this one-act play, a group of intelligent but highly judgmental attorneys get together for their 10-year law school reunion, where they participate in a contest for a professorship at their alma mater. In a farce of pride and prejudice, romances get entangled, lawsuits break out, and situational ironies pave the way for classic misunderstandings and witty humor. I submitted this script to a playwriting contest in February 2009 and, despite not winning, received good praises.
Linguistics Research on Maa (2007)
In 2007, I worked with Dr. Doris L. Payne (University of Oregon Linguistics) in research involving Maa, an East African language spoken by the Maasai people. This language has been researched by a few linguists, but compared to familiar languages like Russian or Japanese, there are still many unknowns about the grammar.
In our research, we were looking at a particular set of suffixes. A suffix is a word ending that attaches to the end of a word in order to make a new word. For example, in English, the suffix "-er" turns verbs (such as "run") into nouns (like "runner"). This kind of suffix is called a nominalizer, or noun-making suffix. In Maa, there are two different nominalizers that do the same thing as English "-er": they are "-oni" and "-et." Look at the following Maa words:
en-dung-et = "knife"
ol-a-dung-oni = "one who cuts"
Both suffixes, "-oni" and "-et," are added to the end of the verb "dung," which means "to cut." However, "-et" makes the word refer to a cutting instrument, whereas "-oni" makes it refer to the person (called the agent) who does the cutting. In English, the word "cutter" could mean either the instrument or the agent, but in Maa, these are separate words with different suffixes.
In this investigation, we were trying to figure out when you would use "-oni" versus when you would use "-et" for different verbs (it's not always easy to tell!) We began with the hypothesis that "-oni" marks the agent, or doer, of the sentence and "-et" marks the instrument. However, we concluded that this is not always the best way to determine which one should be used. Animacy (whether the thing is a living or a non-living object) is also important: "-oni" always makes a word refer to something that is animate, whereas "-et" usually makes it refer to something inanimate.
The findings of this study were presented at the 38th Annual Conference of African Linguistics (ACAL) in Gainsville, FL in March of 2007. Our research was then published in 2009 in the Journal of Selected Proceedings from the 38th ACAL. Click here to view the article.
Side note: For those of you linguists paying attention to my Maa data, know that the prefix "a-" cooccurs with "-oni" as part of the nominalizer. Prefixes "en-" and "ol-" both mean "the." Tone markings, though important to other aspects of Maa grammar, are not shown here.
In our research, we were looking at a particular set of suffixes. A suffix is a word ending that attaches to the end of a word in order to make a new word. For example, in English, the suffix "-er" turns verbs (such as "run") into nouns (like "runner"). This kind of suffix is called a nominalizer, or noun-making suffix. In Maa, there are two different nominalizers that do the same thing as English "-er": they are "-oni" and "-et." Look at the following Maa words:
en-dung-et = "knife"
ol-a-dung-oni = "one who cuts"
Both suffixes, "-oni" and "-et," are added to the end of the verb "dung," which means "to cut." However, "-et" makes the word refer to a cutting instrument, whereas "-oni" makes it refer to the person (called the agent) who does the cutting. In English, the word "cutter" could mean either the instrument or the agent, but in Maa, these are separate words with different suffixes.
In this investigation, we were trying to figure out when you would use "-oni" versus when you would use "-et" for different verbs (it's not always easy to tell!) We began with the hypothesis that "-oni" marks the agent, or doer, of the sentence and "-et" marks the instrument. However, we concluded that this is not always the best way to determine which one should be used. Animacy (whether the thing is a living or a non-living object) is also important: "-oni" always makes a word refer to something that is animate, whereas "-et" usually makes it refer to something inanimate.
The findings of this study were presented at the 38th Annual Conference of African Linguistics (ACAL) in Gainsville, FL in March of 2007. Our research was then published in 2009 in the Journal of Selected Proceedings from the 38th ACAL. Click here to view the article.
Side note: For those of you linguists paying attention to my Maa data, know that the prefix "a-" cooccurs with "-oni" as part of the nominalizer. Prefixes "en-" and "ol-" both mean "the." Tone markings, though important to other aspects of Maa grammar, are not shown here.
Illumination of the Sacred Art (2005)
This essay is an extension of Psychopluralistic Psychology (2005), in which I apply principles of psychology, sociology, linguistics, and mathematics towards metaphysical discovery, attempting to explain what I called the "sacred art": the ability of individuals to achieve their goals in life in ways that defy apparent likelihood and evidence.
Psychopluralistic Psychology (2005)
As part of a psychological investigation, I wrote and published Psychopluralistic Psychology, an extended essay espousing a new approach to the study of the human mind, which applies the socio-political model of pluralism to cognitive psychology. My theory treats the psyche as a pluralistic unit made up of many subconscious "factions" that are governed by the conscious part of the mind. Each subconscious faction has a particular "satisfying condition," such as wanting the body to eat or wanting to experience a certain emotion. These factions compete with each other within the landscape of the subconscious for the attention of the whole, and in order to regulate this attention, the competition must be regulated by a continually evolving system of cognitive self-government. Using this approach, I explain an array of common psychological conditions and pathologies in a way that is comprehensible and complete.
House of Providence (2003, 2006)
This full-length musical tells the tale of Bridget Hutchinson and her struggle over four generations to keep her family and home in tact against the forces of moral depravity. The Hutchinsons are antagonized by a family of Realtors who learn that there is buried treasure beneath their house in Providence, Rhode Island, and who try to swindle them out of ownership. Meanwhile, the spirit of virtue continues to present new problems and teach new lessons. My original 2003 version contained 14 songs. In 2006, when I returned to my former school to music-direct the show, I rewrote the third act, revised the ending, and added five new songs, which appear in the House of Providence soundtrack.
Sumptuosity (2002)
This comedic take-off on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet tells the story of Alix and Ernie, two teenagers in love, whose families belong to rival bowling teams. As bowling tensions escalate, the families are called to travel to Verona, Italy to perform in a production of Romeo and Juliet, finding the rivalry altered by the change in context, and forcing Alix and Ernie to elope against their parents' will.
