I am an Associate professor in the Spanish and Applied Linguistics programs. I hold a PhD (2003) in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Toronto. My areas of expertise are sociolinguistics and second language acquisition.
My general area of research is in multilingualism. In particular, I am interested in language ideologies and identities among speakers of minority and indigenous languages. I have been working with indigenous language speakers in Mexico since 2003, examining the many complex factors that influence language sustainability. I am part of an ongoing SSHRC-funded project on the Totonacan languages of Mexico (led by David Beck), where my role is to carry out ethnographic research on the ideologies underlying the use and loss of these languages. I am also part of a SSHRC-funded initiative (led by Martin Guardado and Jorge Lemus) looking at language revitalization in El Salvador. Additionally, I am a member of an interdisciplinary research team at the University of Alberta (with Martin Guardado, Evangelia Daskalaki, and Rika Tsushima) studying the acquisition and the maintenance of heritage languages in Alberta.
I teach a variety of senior-level undergraduate courses in Spanish language and linguistics, as well as graduate-level courses in applied linguistics. I have supervised a number of MA and PhD students on different topics in second language acquisition and sociolinguistics. I have also supervised several undergraduate honours students as well as several winners of the Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Researcher Award. In 2017, I was a visiting professor in the Masters program in Indoamerican Linguistics at the Centre for Research and Advanced Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS) in Mexico City.
Designed to help graduate students develop theoretical knowledge and practical expertise in postsecondary language, literature, and cultural studies instruction. Prerequisite: consent of Department.
Fall Term 2021A high-intermediate to advanced-level course intended to improve overall proficiency in spoken and written Spanish. Emphasis on intercultural communicative competence. Prerequisite: SPAN 212 or consent of Department. Note: Not to be taken by students with advanced standing equivalent or near native ability or with credit in SPAN 306.
Fall Term 2021Focus on the evolution of Spanish from Latin and its spread around the world. Examines the different varieties of Spanish as well as practices and attitudes regarding the use of Spanish in different regions. Prerequisite: SPAN 300 or 306 or consent of Department. Note: Not open to students with credit in SPAN 372. May be taken in place of SPAN 372 for program requirements.
Winter Term 2022