Although it seems rather egotistical to prattle on about oneself in a forum which is accessible to millions of people, it appears to be normal practice to do so, if only for the sake of putting something on otherwise featureless home pages. Although I think (I hope) that's not the case at the Phrontistery, I've compiled a little blurb about myself, so that people can come from far and wide to marvel at the demented personal life of Forthright, known by day as Steve Chrisomalis.

I was born on May 3, 1974, which means I share a birthday with the king of soul, James Brown, famed magician / yogic flyer Doug Henning and the father of political science, Niccolo Machiavelli. Read into this whatever you will. At any rate, I spent my formative years in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada, just east of Toronto. After graduating in 1996 from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, I moved to Montreal, Quebec, where I completed my doctorate in anthropology in 2003. I'm now teaching at the University of Toronto and pursuing postdoctoral studies. My current research is on the comparative study of systems of numerical notation (see my curriculum vitae here).

Aside from my purely academic interests, I occasionally find time to have a real life. As you might have guessed, I am one of those "word people" who has an obsessive love for language. Whether you prefer the term logolept, verbivore, logophile, epeolater, or logodaedalus, to name only a few, I count myself among that odd crowd who takes great joy in the mere mention of a new or interesting word. I am a great lover of puzzles and games, including Scrabble®, Trivial Pursuit®, bridge, all sorts of role-playing games, and so on. I am a fan of classical music, particularly that of the Baroque period, but my musical tastes are really rather diverse. My taste in literature runs mostly towards science fiction and fantasy. That is to say, I am a nerd (or, if you prefer, a geek).

Unbelievable as it may seem, between my dissertation and my word lists, I have actually managed to find an incredibly beautiful and tolerant woman to marry me. My wife, Julia, not only puts up with my pretentious blather but actually shares many of my interests, and has been of invaluable assistance throughout the life of this site, including assisting me with its graphics and layout. We are expecting our first child in June 2005.

I hope you have found this site to be useful. If you have any corrections, additions, or comments, please contact me. Please note that I am not able to respond to all requests. Please consult a major dictionary before e-mailing your query. All material on this page © 2007 Stephen Chrisomalis. Links to this page may be made without permission.