I am a Professor of Hispanic linguistics in the Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I am also a faculty affiliate in the Latin American and Latino Studies Program, the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and in the Social Justice Initiative. I am also the founding ​​director of the Language in Context Research Group. 

Since 2009 I've served as Executive Editor of the journal Spanish in Context.

 

Most broadly, I am interested in the promotion of minority languages and multilingualism, particularly via elementary schooling. My work focuses on Spanish in the United States, including factors that influence intergenerational language transmission, connections between language and identity, and heritage language education. Some of my recent research topics include:

* Language development in dual immersion schools
* Mexican and Puerto Rican Spanish in Chicago, and the language and identity of mixed “Mexi-Rican” individuals
* Teaching heritage languages, particularly Spanish in the U.S.
* Spanish use in Chicago quinceañera celebrations
* The use of “Spanglish” in commercially published greeting cards
 

Here is a list of my invited (non-conference) presentations and some of my current research projects.

TEDx talk April 12, 2013: "No Child Left Monolingual"

Sunday, November 17th 2013

Talk title: "No Child Left Monolingual."

This was a real labor of love. I'd love to see two-way immersion on every corner!

Two small errors:

(1) At 9:58, the production folks accidentally highlighted the two-way immersion program, when I was in fact referring to English Only.

(2) At 10:24, I said "75% Spanish" when I meant "75% English." Probably obvious but just for the record.

Please feel free to share widely and thanks for viewing!

Interview with LAS magazine

Sunday, November 11th 2012

I was interviewed by the magazine of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Tags: 
Media

Fulbright in Oaxaca, 2011-2012

Friday, June 3rd 2011

I have been honored with a Fulbright Research & Teaching Grant for the academic year 2011-2012.  I will be moving with my family to Oaxaca, Mexico.

Tags: 
Oaxaca
Fulbright
Transnational

Language diversity in the USA

Monday, August 9th 2010

I'm pleased to report that an edited volume I began in March 2007 has finally been published. The title is Language Diversity in the USA and it is published by Cambridge University Press. It profiles the twelve most commonly used languages other than English, painting a portrait of the history, current demographics, community characteristics, economic status, and language maintenance of each language group, and looks ahead to the future of each language.

La Enciclopedia

Monday, January 12th 2009

The Enciclopedia del español en los Estados Unidos (2009, Santillana) is now out. It offers:

"A detailed analysis of the past, present, and future of Spanish and Hispanic culture in the U.S., highlighting the demolinguistic reality of the diverse Spanish-speaking groups living in the U.S. Attention is also drawn to the vast cultural wealth of the Hispanic community, which has driven artistic creations that today hold a preeminent position in the country's cultural landscape."

There are over 80 specialized articles covering historical, demographic, and linguistic analyses. I made contributions on codeswitching (with Carmen Silva-Corvalán) as well as an entry about mixed ethnicity Latinos. This page includes recent press about the Enciclopedia del español en los Estados Unidos.

Grassroots orgranization "Multilingual Chicago"

Sunday, January 11th 2009

We live in a time when many U.S. residents harbor "English only" sentiments -- that is, to be considered a good citizen you have to speak English and also stop speaking anything else. Multilingual Chicago is a grassroots organization I belong to that seeks to counter such linguistic hegemony by promoting linguistic diversity in our city, both that brought by immigrants and their descendants as well as by English speakers studying other languages. In 2007, Mayor Daley signed a resolution brought forth by the efforts of this group.