Linguistics
Linguistics is a research area which comprises a wide range of subdisciplines from the theoretical, to the descriptive, to applied approaches which aim to address a variety of research topics, such as: the internal structure of language, the development of language in space and time and in society, and the acquisition of language by monolinguals and bilinguals, as children and adults, as second language learners and heritage speakers. Our faculty specialize in how these approaches help us better understand both linguistic form and function as they apply to a variety of languages and contexts.
Historical French linguistics, comparative Romance language development, negation, syntax and structure, grammaticalization, phonetic representation across writing systems
Thomas Carlton
Instructor of French
Alicia Cipria
Associate Professor of Spanish, Director of Graduate StudiesTheoretical and applied issues of tense; Spanish aspect and Aktionsart/actionality; Spanish-English contrasts; contact of Spanish with other languages; language attitudes
Language pedagogy and curriculum development; language program administration; systemic functional linguistics; second language writing; language teacher education; reflective teaching and learning
Corinne Crane
Associate Professor of German, German Language Program Director
Second language acquisition, intercultural competence, attitudes, beliefs and stereotypes, empathy, affective dimensions of foreign language learning, project-based learning, French for specific purposes
Isabelle Drewelow
Associate Professor of French and Applied Linguistics
Libyan literature, literary translation, folktales, the Arabian Nights, stylistics analysis, critical discourse analysis
Safa Elnaili
Associate Professor of Arabic, Director of Arabic Program
Bilingualism, code-switching, methodology, processing, pronouns, second language acquisition, and syntax
Bryan Koronkiewicz
Associate Professor of Spanish Linguistics
Douglas Lightfoot
Associate Professor of German and Linguistics, German Linguistics Graduate AdvisorHistorical Germanic linguistics, word-formation, affixoids, grammaticalization, lexicalization. Foreign language teaching and learning. Scholarly writing
Erin O'Rourke
Associate Professor of Spanish Linguistics, Director of Graduate Studies (Spring 2023)
Intonation, sociolinguistics, phonetics and phonology, and languages in contact
Laura Rubio
Assistant Professor of Spanish, Spanish 100-200 Level Program Director
Applied linguistics, teaching methodology, formative assessments, self-assessment, heritage speakers
David Tezil
Assistant Professor of French Linguistics
Variationist sociolinguistics, phonology, phonetics, morphosyntax, contact linguistics, French-based pidgin and creole languages
K. Maxime Vignon
Assistant Professor of French, Coordinator of Affairs for African and International Graduate Students in French
Linguistics, Francophone studies, international trade, geopolitics, second language acquisition
Xiang Zhang
Chinese Program Director, Instructor of Chinese, Director of Alabama in China, Advisor for Chinese Culture Club