Kirk Hazen is the author of two books and coauthor of two others on language and linguistics. He has taught about the English language and linguistics for 22 years, with the last 17 at West Virginia University where he is Professor of Linguistics in the Department of English. His research focuses on sociolinguistics, language variation & change, and dialects of English. He promotes sociolinguistic goals by presenting dialect diversity programs to numerous communities, including future health professionals, social workers, and service organizations. Kirk Hazen also consults with legal counsel as an expert witness. As director of the West Virginia Dialect Project (dialects.english.wvu.edu), he has secured funding from state and federal sources (NSF & NEH) for linguistic research.