Second Language Acquisition Lab

The Second Language Acquisition and Cognition (SLAC) Lab is dedicated to the investigation of second language acquisition, bilingualism, and multilingualism with a focus on speakers' cognition. We are a team of researchers collaborating to gain a deeper understanding of learners' morphology, phonology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. We draw from broader fields, such as Cognitive Linguistics and Psycholinguistics to answer questions pertaining to learners' cognition.

 

Our Team:

Dr. Vera Lee-Schoenfeld, Primary Investigator

Vera Lee-Schoenfeld, PhD, is primarily a theoretical linguist with a research focus on German syntax. She also has an interest in language acquisition, holding degrees in TESOL and French Language Education. She is the co-author of Language Matters: A Guide to Everyday Questions about Language, Second edition (2010).

Dr. Pilar Chamorro, Faculty Mentor

Pilar Chamorro's research focuses on the semantic and pragmatic contribution of temporal, aspectual, and modal expressions across languages. She is also interested in the semantics of plurals, the mass/count distinction, and quantification.

 

Caroline Schneider, M.A., Faculty Mentor

Caroline's research focuses on second language acquisition, phonetics & phonology, and sociolinguistics. She is interested in the cognitive factors that affect the acquisition of L2 phonologies and how they interface with the other theoretical subfields of linguistics.

Emre Keser, PhD Student, Coordinator

Emre (he/him) is interested in how language learners process the target language syntax and how syntax evolves through language contact. Emre is also eager to explore more about how computers perceive and generate different varieties of syntax to imitate authentic human language acquisition and use.

Emma Dalbo, PhD Student

Emma’s research interests surround the intersection of AI and language teaching. Her primary language of interest is Korean. She studied Linguistics and Computer Science at Boston College, and she previously worked as an English teacher in South Korea.

Grant Shubin, Linguistics and Cognitive Science major

Grant is an undergraduate student studying Linguistics and Cognitive Science with a minor in Japanese and TESOL. He is very interested in motivation and its impact on the efficiency of acquiring second languages.

Andrew Vance, Linguistics major

Andrew is an undergraduate student interested in Second Language Acquisition. He currently does research on the acquisition of sound symbolism in L2 Japanese.

Current Research Projects:

  • The acquisition of L2/L3 syntax and inflectional morphology
  • The acquisition of vowel harmony in onomatopoeia by Korean L2 Learners
  • The acquisition of sound symbolism in L2 Japanese
  • Language Family Dynamics in TOEFL iBT Scores

Questions?

Email our coordinator, Emre Keser, at aekeser@uga.edu