Affiliate Faculty
Shannon Barrios
Associate Professor, Linguistics
Co-Director, The Speech Acquisition Lab
Shannon Barrios
Education: B.A. State University of New York, M.A. Syracuse University, NYS Certification, State University of New York, Ph.D. University of Maryland
Interests: Linguistics, language studies, cognitive and computational psychology, biological psychology
KuanYi Chao
Assistant Professor, World Language & Cultures
KuanYi Chao
Education: Ph.D. Indiana University Bloomington
Interests: Chinese linguistics, Bilingual phonetic acquisition, L2 production and perception, Dual language immersion
MaryAnn Christison
Distinguished Professor, Linguistics
Director of Graduate Studies
Mary Ann Christison
Education: B.A. Utah State University, M.A. Utah State University, M.A. Utah State University, Ph.D.University of Utah
Interests: Linguistics, applied linguistics and educational linguistics
Tanya Flores
Associate Professor, World Languages & Cultures
Tanya Flores
Education: B.A. College of Idaho, M.A. University of Oregon, M.A. Indiana University, Ph.D. Indiana University
I am a sociophonetician specializing in L2 Phonology/Phonetics and Contact Linguistics (L2 learning outside of the classroom). My research is on Spanish socio-phonetic variation and Spanish in contact with east Asian languages. Additionally, I have investigated language development among bilingual children with speech and hearing disorders. I created a Spanish resource handbook for this population, which is available for free online:
https://languages.utah.edu/_resources/documents/_faculty-resources/parent-handbook.pdf
My PhD is in Hispanic Linguistics from Indiana University Bloomington.
Rachel Hayes-Harb
Associate Dean, Honors College
Professor, Linguistics
Rachel Hayes-Harb
Education: B.A. University of Iowa, M.A. University of South Carolina, M.A. University of Arizona, Ph.D. University of Arizona
Interests: the sound systems of adult language learners: the ways new sound systems are processed and represented, how a learners’ languages influence each other, and how social factors impact the way that learner accents are perceived.
Jay Jordan
Professor, Writing & Rhetoric Studies
Jay Jordan
Education: B.A. University of North Carolina at Asheville, M.A. Pennsylvania State University, Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University
Interests:
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Second language writing and rhetorics, writing across the curriculum/writing in disciplines, international higher education.
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PhD Penn State. Hobbies include bicycle touring, gardening, and knitting.
Motomi Kajitani
Instructor (Lecturer), World Languages & Cultures
Motomi Kajitani
Education: ABD, University of New Mexico
Interests:
- Cognitive semantics and pragmatics
- Linguistic typology and universals
- Japanese linguistics for world languages students
- Acquisition of pragmatics
- Task & project-based learning
- Arts and emotions in language acquisition
- ABD, Linguistics, University of New Mexico
- Hobbies: drawing, crafting, children’s stories
Nick Ott
Post Doctoral Fellow, World Languages & Cultures
Nick Ott
Education: Ph.D. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Nick Ott (Ph.D.) is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at The University of Utah, where he specializes in Second Language Acquisition. His research examines how L1 and L2 users enact and perceive speech accommodation in instructed and naturalistic settings. He has taught English as a Second and Foreign Language, German, and Spanish at the secondary and/or postsecondary levels in Germany, Costa Rica, and the United States. Drawing on his experiences as a Fulbright grantee and as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, Dr. Ott is particularly interested in L2 learners’ transition from the classroom into immersion environments.
Wenyang Sun
Assistant Professor, Education, Culture & Society
Affiliate Faculty, University of Utah Asia Center
Wenyang Sun
Education: B.A. Zhejian University, B.A. Zhejian University, M.A. Vanderbilt University, Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Interests: Sociolinguistics, language and identity, language and communities, heritage language education, bilingual education, social foundations of language education.
Veronica Valdez
Professor, Education, Culture, & Society
Verónica Valdez
Education: B.A. Southwestern University, M.S. Emporia State University, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin
Interests: Curriculum and pedagogy, education systems, education policy, sociology and philosophy, linguistics, specialist studies in education, language studies
Sonca Vo
Post Doctoral Fellow, Linguistics
Sonca Vo
Education: PhD in Applied Linguistics and Technology, Iowa State University; MA in Teaching English as a Second Language, Northern Arizona University
Interests: speaking assessment, interactional competence, intellectual humility
Tuba Yilmaz
Assitant Professor, Education, Culture & Society
Tuba Yilmaz
Education: M.A.E. University of Florida, Ph.D. University of Florida
Dr. Tuba Yilmaz’s research focuses on multilingual education, equity, and technology-enhanced language learning, with an emphasis on the experiences of multilingual learners (MLs), translanguaging pedagogy, and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in differentiated instruction for multilingual learners. Her work examines how language ideologies, educational policies, and instructional practices shape multilingual students’ academic and social experiences while contributing to teacher education by analyzing how pre-service and in-service teachers develop raciolinguistic awareness and inclusive pedagogical strategies. Currently, she investigates AI-driven tools for personalized learning, exploring how AI-generated bilingual scripts can support integration in dual language schools. Her future research aims to advance AI-integrated pedagogies for MLs, examine the impact of AI on MLs' school success, and expand translanguaging research through AI-mediated scaffolding to support multilingual learners. Through this work, she seeks to contribute to inclusive education, AI-enhanced instruction, and multilingual equity, fostering innovation that serves linguistically diverse students.