Research
Empirical research: Joint Speech (chant).
Theoretical work: Embodiment and its consequences.
I began in phonetics, where I studied speech rhythm and timing using two experimental methods I developed: Speech Cycling and Synchronous Speech.
Work on synchronous speech led to the development of the topic of Joint Speech. This includes all situations in which two or more people say (or sing) the same thing at the same time. Such speech is typically found in situations of great social significance, e.g. during religious rites, secular rituals, and protest demonstrations. It is also common in schools. I see joint speech as a useful topic for exploring foundational issues in the sciences of the mind and behavior.
I try to speak as an embodied cognitive scientist. This means addressing the perplexities of building an account of lived experience into a broader picture which includes, but is not exhausted by, physics. Some exploratory videos are appearing here.
In a world of assertive positivist science, I rather enjoy discredited and contested areas of knowledge. Some thoughts along this line are collected at a blog called the Gateless Gate. I do not know yet where this is going, but I am enjoying the experience of pursuing a number of parallel and interlocked themes that range from mysticism to the mundane, linked by the mathematical. Recent thought on our theories of seeing and vision led to this short series of videos.