Michael Erard
@michaelerard.bsky.social
Writer, linguist. 3rd book: BYE BYE I LOVE YOU. The Economist: "Beautiful & strangely comforting." LARB: "Wise & gracefully written." Others: "Indelible." To buy: https://bit.ly/4kN0PKa
Explore www.michaelerard.com
Explore www.michaelerard.com
My book Bye Bye I Love You was published one year ago today! It got some very nice reviews. I talked about it a lot and had some profound interactions around it, all of which I'm grateful, so grateful, for. Thanks to @mitpress.bsky.social and my editor @philiplaughlin.bsky.social for the support.
February 11, 2026 at 2:02 PM
My book Bye Bye I Love You was published one year ago today! It got some very nice reviews. I talked about it a lot and had some profound interactions around it, all of which I'm grateful, so grateful, for. Thanks to @mitpress.bsky.social and my editor @philiplaughlin.bsky.social for the support.
A belated bday present came today: @timbrookes.bsky.social’s wonderful book celebrating human ingenuity and diversity. It’s well designed and well produced, too. A thing to admire. And provocative to boot!
January 16, 2026 at 7:32 PM
A belated bday present came today: @timbrookes.bsky.social’s wonderful book celebrating human ingenuity and diversity. It’s well designed and well produced, too. A thing to admire. And provocative to boot!
If you're at the @lingsocam.bsky.social meeting, go check out Bye Bye I Love You at the @mitpress.bsky.social press table, check out @andrewgarrett.bsky.social's gem while you're there, and say hi to my editor, @philiplaughlin.bsky.social!
January 9, 2026 at 3:12 PM
If you're at the @lingsocam.bsky.social meeting, go check out Bye Bye I Love You at the @mitpress.bsky.social press table, check out @andrewgarrett.bsky.social's gem while you're there, and say hi to my editor, @philiplaughlin.bsky.social!
My local library
December 28, 2025 at 12:44 PM
My local library
In the window of De Tribune, the best bookstore in the Netherlands
December 16, 2025 at 9:33 AM
In the window of De Tribune, the best bookstore in the Netherlands
i approve this analogy
December 9, 2025 at 1:57 PM
i approve this analogy
Maybe I've been spending too much time on LinkedIn, but I appreciated this. A writer wants their words and ideas stuck in people's heads.
December 9, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Maybe I've been spending too much time on LinkedIn, but I appreciated this. A writer wants their words and ideas stuck in people's heads.
I'm going to self-servingly pull out Lynne's mentions of my book in her sparkly newsletter that you should absolutely read and subscribe to:
December 9, 2025 at 7:52 AM
I'm going to self-servingly pull out Lynne's mentions of my book in her sparkly newsletter that you should absolutely read and subscribe to:
day job hat on again
several years ago i did a little research project on how experts read Horizon Europe funding calls (mainly because I learning myself)
here's a key slide
several years ago i did a little research project on how experts read Horizon Europe funding calls (mainly because I learning myself)
here's a key slide
December 5, 2025 at 10:17 AM
day job hat on again
several years ago i did a little research project on how experts read Horizon Europe funding calls (mainly because I learning myself)
here's a key slide
several years ago i did a little research project on how experts read Horizon Europe funding calls (mainly because I learning myself)
here's a key slide
Everybody post photos of your recursive crèches
November 30, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Everybody post photos of your recursive crèches
Data from that study, encoded on cards for each death, are at McGill. Some of the cards included observations about language and interactional behavior.
A fortunate encounter with medical historian Tom Laqueur pointed me in the direction of the cards. I'm indebted to him.
A fortunate encounter with medical historian Tom Laqueur pointed me in the direction of the cards. I'm indebted to him.
November 26, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Data from that study, encoded on cards for each death, are at McGill. Some of the cards included observations about language and interactional behavior.
A fortunate encounter with medical historian Tom Laqueur pointed me in the direction of the cards. I'm indebted to him.
A fortunate encounter with medical historian Tom Laqueur pointed me in the direction of the cards. I'm indebted to him.
When he was at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Osler launched the first-ever clinical study of the process of dying, collecting info on 486 deaths from 1900-1904.
Osler was interested in knowing whether people die in discomfort: psychological, spiritual, physical.
Osler was interested in knowing whether people die in discomfort: psychological, spiritual, physical.
November 26, 2025 at 10:23 AM
When he was at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Osler launched the first-ever clinical study of the process of dying, collecting info on 486 deaths from 1900-1904.
Osler was interested in knowing whether people die in discomfort: psychological, spiritual, physical.
Osler was interested in knowing whether people die in discomfort: psychological, spiritual, physical.
Bye Bye I Love You: The Story of Our First and Last Words (2025) is the first linguistic look at language at the end of life, including "last words" and beyond.
It explores these linguistic milestones as cultural phenomena across historical eras. The Economist's top 40 book of 2025 (so far).
It explores these linguistic milestones as cultural phenomena across historical eras. The Economist's top 40 book of 2025 (so far).
November 26, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Bye Bye I Love You: The Story of Our First and Last Words (2025) is the first linguistic look at language at the end of life, including "last words" and beyond.
It explores these linguistic milestones as cultural phenomena across historical eras. The Economist's top 40 book of 2025 (so far).
It explores these linguistic milestones as cultural phenomena across historical eras. The Economist's top 40 book of 2025 (so far).
Babel No More: The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners (2012). Translated into 8 languages. The first & most comprehensive look at the phenomenon of "hyperpolyglottery," or massive multilingualism/high intensity language learning.
November 26, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Babel No More: The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners (2012). Translated into 8 languages. The first & most comprehensive look at the phenomenon of "hyperpolyglottery," or massive multilingualism/high intensity language learning.
Um...Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They mean (2007) explores the natural history of speech disfluencies ("uh," "um," sentence restarts, etc.) and slips of the tongue. Inspired by George W. Bush's profile as "verbal blunderer." I wondered: what is "fluent speech" anyway?
November 26, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Um...Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They mean (2007) explores the natural history of speech disfluencies ("uh," "um," sentence restarts, etc.) and slips of the tongue. Inspired by George W. Bush's profile as "verbal blunderer." I wondered: what is "fluent speech" anyway?
Happy World Linguistics Day! I write about #language in the key of narrative non-fiction; you might find my books interesting! A thread --
#lingsky #langsky #linguistics
#lingsky #langsky #linguistics
November 26, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Happy World Linguistics Day! I write about #language in the key of narrative non-fiction; you might find my books interesting! A thread --
#lingsky #langsky #linguistics
#lingsky #langsky #linguistics
More last words than first words for a while. Maybe forever.
November 24, 2025 at 6:48 PM
More last words than first words for a while. Maybe forever.
I have a co-authored, peer-reviewed chapter in this newly released book! With Laura Chahda, and drawing on my research for BYE BYE I LOVE YOU, I wrote about linguistic considerations at the end of life, aiming to show how speech-language pathologists can support communication. It's important!
November 22, 2025 at 7:05 PM
I have a co-authored, peer-reviewed chapter in this newly released book! With Laura Chahda, and drawing on my research for BYE BYE I LOVE YOU, I wrote about linguistic considerations at the end of life, aiming to show how speech-language pathologists can support communication. It's important!
In the new Onze Taal, @fonolog.bsky.social had this to say about BYE BYE I LOVE YOU: "One of the most human and moving books on language published in 2025." And about me: "Probably one of the best language writers working today."
Full Dutch and English in the alt text.
Full Dutch and English in the alt text.
November 22, 2025 at 4:41 PM
In the new Onze Taal, @fonolog.bsky.social had this to say about BYE BYE I LOVE YOU: "One of the most human and moving books on language published in 2025." And about me: "Probably one of the best language writers working today."
Full Dutch and English in the alt text.
Full Dutch and English in the alt text.
I laughed. This is in Austin, Texas, a place not known for its rain. (I live in the Netherlands, where floors and umbrellas are apparently tougher.)
November 9, 2025 at 7:09 PM
I laughed. This is in Austin, Texas, a place not known for its rain. (I live in the Netherlands, where floors and umbrellas are apparently tougher.)
pink. When you do the top and bottom colors as the poles of a gradient, you get this.
thanks, @mitpress.bsky.social designers!
thanks, @mitpress.bsky.social designers!
November 6, 2025 at 12:14 PM
pink. When you do the top and bottom colors as the poles of a gradient, you get this.
thanks, @mitpress.bsky.social designers!
thanks, @mitpress.bsky.social designers!