About

My line of inquiry explores three interrelated avenues in the field of Spanish Applied Linguistics: language education (Language Pedagogy), language learning (Language Acquisition), and language in society (Sociolinguistics). Research has shown that second language (L2) and heritage language (HL) learners in classroom (regular and immersion) settings are typically exposed to formal registers, while vernacular registers are solely available outside the classroom. Specifically, I examine how L2 and HL learners develop their sociolinguistic competence in different contexts, e.g., in an at-home classroom, through study abroad experiences, in electronic and community service-learning (CSL) environments, and in preservice teacher education programs. This research incorporates current theories and methodologies in Sociolinguistics and Second and Heritage Language Acquisition to examine language variation among native and nonnative speakers of Spanish. To this end, I employ quantitative methods to uncover the social and linguistic factors that shape Spanish at the individual and societal levels. More recently, I have also explored current issues in Spanish as a heritage language in the United States and Spanish for Specific Purposes.