Professional
The first thing that drew me to linguistics: the problem sets. I loved scrutinizing a set of data (typically IPA transcriptions plus glosses, arranged in neat little columns) and developing an account of the apparent patterns. Nothing's changed, really, except that the data has gotten messier: now I study phonetic and phonological variation, and consider the linguistic, social, and stylistic factors conditioning it. Go to the Research link for more info.
Josie showing an interest in my work