tanialeal

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tanialeal@arizona.edu
Office
Modern Languages 523
Leal, Tania Lorena
Assistant Professor

I am a linguist who specializes in second language acquisition, particularly on the acquisition and processing (comprehension) of syntax and morphology. My research explores bilingualism broadly construed and is is purposefully interdisciplinary, incorporating elements from applied linguistics, generative linguistics, and psycholinguistics. I’m particularly interested in real-time language comprehension and in advancing the characterization of the underlying linguistic knowledge of second language learners and heritage speakers. I am also keenly interested in the current methodological and epistemological issues that have arisen in the field as a by-product of conducting research that integrates different approaches. My current research investigates how second language learners and heritage speakers acquire and process morpho-syntactic elements such as clitics. Some of this work has appeared in journals such as Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, Second Language Research, Lingua, Language Acquisition, Applied Linguistics and the International Journal of Bilingualism. I am currently serving as Associate Editor for the journal Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism and contribute to the editorial boards of Second Language Research and Languages.

Currently Teaching

SPAN 581A – Foreign Language Teaching Theory and Methodology

The goal of this course is to systematically examine methods, approaches, techniques and activities for the teaching of foreign languages and its use in the classroom. It will include an overview of learner strategies and cooperative learning, the use and adaptation of textbooks, and some of the journals available in the field. Participants will be introduced to second language acquisition theories, course design, lesson planning and testing, and have experience creating a cohesive instructional unit.

SPAN 582A – Spanish Syntax I

This course involves an examination of the methods and argumentation used in syntactic analysis, both from a general point of view and from the perspective of generative grammar. Emphasis is placed on analyzing language data, on constructing and evaluating syntactic argumentation, and on understanding the Principles & Parameters approach to the study of sentence structure. Secondarily, this course is also an introduction to scientific theorizing: what it means to construct a scientific theory, how to test a scientific theory, how to choose among competing theories. Linguistic data will be drawn from Spanish.

SPAN 594 – Practicum

The practical application, on an individual basis, of previously studied theory and the collection of data for future theoretical interpretation. This might include participation in collaborative research projects and development of practical skills to design and teach upper-level undergraduate courses in an area of specialization.