Acknowledgements

My Grandmother, Grace D’Arcy, loved language. She had strong ideas about it and she never shirked from letting me know when she disagreed with my usage. I don’t aspire to the same ideals that she did, but Grandmother taught me that not everybody talks the same way, that there is more than one way to say the same thing, and that those differences are meaningful. For those lessons I am eternally grateful – they shaped my passions and made me who I am. There is no doubt that Grandmother walks the halls of the academy with me every day. I think that would give her great satisfaction.

This book was a long time coming. A fateful meeting over a beer at Sundance kicked the momentum into gear, spurring me to revisit like after a hiatus of many years. (Thank you Elly van Gelderen.) Of course, I still needed someone to prod me gently, and sometimes, not so gently. My dissertation supervisor come collaborator Sali Tagliamonte was always there to keep me going. And of course, well before any of that, Sali had opened the door to her lab and her corpora and her training to me. She gave me the inspiration and asked the hard questions. Sali is also one heck of a role model. If you hear her voice on any of these pages, it is my humble way to honor my great friend, mentor, and colleague.

I wrote this book in Victoria – in my office, in my kitchen, in my living room, at swimming pools, and at soccer practices. I respectfully acknowledge the territories of the Coast Salish and Straights Salish people, on whose unceded lands I am a grateful guest. My like journey began in Toronto, in the form of my dissertation research. That is the land of several Indigenous Nations, and remains a sacred gathering place for many peoples of Turtle Island. I pay special recognition to the Mississaugas of the New Credit.

I have been fortunate in having wonderful friends and colleagues along the way who patiently answered emails, extended invitations to speak, sent examples, articles and clippings, listened to my ideas, asked provocative questions, cheered me on, and urged me to “make a thing”. Michael Barrie, Laurel Brinton, Jack Chambers, Rachel Hope Cleves, Patricia Cukor-Avila, Ewa Czaykowska-Higgins, Derek Denis, Wyatt Galloway, Elizabeth Gordon, Jennifer Hay, Warren Maguire, Anna-Maria Mountfort, Celeste Rodríguez Louro, Suzanne Romaine, Haj Ross, Gia Sengara, Bettina Spreng, Elizabeth Traugott, Paul Warren, Martina Wiltschko: Your gifts are appreciated.

My greatest debt is to my partner Kevin and our son Ryder. Kevin has always been my favorite sounding board and my number one supporter. Ryder is so fluent in the grammar of like that he inspires me every day. These two rode my highs on a good day and endured my lows on a bad one. They gave me wine, they gave me cuddles, they gave me time to write, and they gave me a home full of laughter. Most importantly, they kept me grounded in what mattered – it wasn’t this book. This is for them, my beautiful boys.