Research

Overview

I explore how linguistic forms are entangled with questions of identity, power, and history across the Spanish‑speaking world. My work focuses on phenomena such as transitivity patterns, grammaticalization, gendered and racialized discourse, and the dynamics of code‑switching, examining how speakers negotiate multiple linguistic norms in multilingual and multicultural settings—from the colonial archives of New Spain to contemporary urban centres where Spanish coexists with Catalan and other Iberian languages.

I blend quantitative variationist analysis with qualitative ethnographic insight to reveal how grammatical choices both reflect and construct social realities. By centering the voices of language users themselves, my research illuminates the roles of community norms, colonial ideologies, and gendered power relations in shaping linguistic change and sustaining cultural practices.

Current Projects

Language, community, and identity among the Jews of Spain: Investigating how migration and mobility influence speech patterns in newly formed Jewish communities in Spain.
Transitivity and representations of race in colonial Mexico.
Semantic and pragmatic effects of mood variation in Spanish, a historical study.

Recent Publications

“La variación gramático-léxica del español salvadoreño” Enciclopedia concisa de los dialectos del español en el mundo (ENCODES), ed. M. Diaz-Campos & J. M. Hernández Campoy, 877-886. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 978-1-119-90908-8. 2025.
“Quantifying transitivity: Uncovering relations of gender and power.” Language Variation and Change, 1-26. 2024. doi:10.1017/S0954394524000085
“Crippled Symphony”; “Choice”; “Walk”; “Speed.” In P. D. C. Bones & J. S. Gullion (Eds.), Redefining disability. Brill/Sense. ISBN: 978-9004512689. 2021.
“The road already traveled: Constructional analogy in lexico-syntactic change.” Studies in Language 40:1.26-62.2016.
“Lone English-origin nouns in Spanish: The precedence of community norms.” International Journal of Bilingualism 19:4.459-480. 2015. doi:10.1177/1367006913516021

For a complete list of publications, please consult my curriculum vitae or contact me directly.

Research Spotlights

Transitivity, Race & Colonialism

This project explores the intersection of language, race, and power in early colonial New Spain. By analysing descriptions of racialized colonial subjects, it shows how transitivity patterns reflect the complexities of racial hierarchies present in colonial society. The findings reveal how grammatical choices encode ideological assumptions about agency and humanity.

Quantifying Transitivity, Gender & Power

Building on variationist methods, this line of research develops quantitative measures of transitivity to uncover relations of gender and power. It demonstrates that seemingly minor grammatical differences correlate with larger social dynamics, offering new insights into how speakers use language to negotiate authority and solidarity.

Modern-day Jewish Communities in Spain

During my sabbatical in fall 2025, I will be interviewing members of Jewish communities in Barcelona and other cities in Spain to explore the themes of belonging, language, identity, and history within the context of these newly formed communities.

Selected Publications

“An awkward companion: Disability and the semantic landscape of English lame.” Journal of English Linguistics 38.25-55. 2010.
“Pushing the envelope: Looking beyond the variable context.” Language Variation and Change 22:1.1-36. 2010.
“The gendered use of salirse in Mexican Spanish: Si me salía yo con las amigas, se enojaba” Language in Society 33:4.585-607. 2004.

A complete list of publications can be provided upon request. Please contact me if you would like access to preprints or additional materials.