I’m a UCLA-trained comparative mythologist, which means I compare attested mythologies in an effort to reconstruct the unattested ancestors of these mythologies, using techniques similar to those employed by comparative linguistics.
At the moment, I’m especially interested in the expression of moiety in vocabulary, as a novel means of better understanding our distant ancestors’ long-lost world views.
I’m a UCLA-trained prehistorical linguist, which simply means I compare attested languages in an effort to reconstruct their unattested ancestors. I do most of my work in the large Austronesian, Indo-European, and Uto-Aztecan language families, but I’m also interested in language isolates.
The focus of much of my work is on the relationship between religion and lexicon. For my most recent published paper, visit:
I’m the ‘decipherer, editor, and translator’ of The Earthy Language Cycle, a series of ‘novels’ (in the original sense of the word) set in our past, present, and future and based upon the trunkful of yellowed documents ‘acquired’ by my paternal-great-grandfather, George William Scarcliff, a humble postal clerk in nineteenth-century Nottingham, England.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
I read widely, but I’m especially drawn to works that help us elude the confines of our own particular culture: alt-history, cross-cultural adventure, fantasy, magical realism, science fiction, speculative fiction, and the like.
I owe any success I’ve had in my endeavors to my wife, Joy Acosta y Salvador. She’s a joyous Filipino-American, and I’m a bemused Anglo-American, and our union has been a cross-cultural adventure in its own right, producing, amongst our many other small triumphs, our three most excellent sons.
I Believe In Stories
Welcome to my corner of the world. I love a good story, whether I’m living one, reading one, sharing one, or writing one.
Here are a few of the things you may know me for:
I’m An Author
I’m the translator and editor of the Earthy Language Cycle, a set of epic adventures set in the Earth’s past, present, and future.
I’m A Linguist, and Mythologist
I specialize in the Austronesian, Indo-European and Uto-Aztecan language families and dabble in several others.
I’m An Entertainment Culture And Language Consultant
I create fresh, engaging titles, tag lines, language effects, and story concepts for the entertainment industry.
I’m A Brand Strategist And Naming Consultant
I create rich, meaningful stories, names, tag lines, and copy for leading brands worldwide.
I’m A Husband And Father
I’m the happy husband of my beautiful wife and the proud father of my three very interesting sons. The rest of my life pales by comparison!
Books:
Sites: