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).
	Caroline Schneider, Affiliated Faculty 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.
	Jean Costa-Silva, PhD Candidate, Coordinator Jean's interests pertain to second language acquisition and syntax. His work focuses on Cognitive Linguistics and the acquisition of motion in English and Portuguese. He's interested in how bilinguals acquire language to describe space.
	Seaira Lett, PhD Student Seaira’s interests include language documentation and indigenous languages of Latin America. Her work focuses on the morphosyntax of Chuj, a Mayan language from Guatemala. Seaira previously served as a kindergarten teacher at a dual-language school in Kansas City, MO.
	Emre Keser, PhD Student 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.
	Vanessa Revheim, PhD Student Vanessa is interested in the acquisition of Portuguese as a heritage language. She has over 15 years of experience in the field of Education, having worked in Brazil, the US, and Chile.
	Sarah Moore, MA Student Sarah is interested in pragmatics and the acquisition of Portuguese as a foreign language.
	Tom Liu, MA Student Tom holds a background in TESOL, with a strong interest in the intersection of phonology and second language acquisition. His current research interest primarily focuses on how learners acquire suprasegmental features in a second language.
	Emma Dalbo, MA 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.
	Britton Hare, Linguistics, International Affairs and Psychology major Britton Hare is a first-year linguistics, international affairs, and psychology major. His academic interests include the backward transfer of semantics in Second Language Acquisition and Austronesian historical linguistics.

Current Research Projects:

The acquisition of motion encoding lexicalization patterns
The effects of bidirectional transfer on the acquisition of word order
The acquisition of L2/L3 syntax and inflectional morphology
The acquisition of vowel harmony in onomatopoeia by Korean L2 Learners
L2 Mandarin speakers' perception of lexical and prosodic tones in Mandarin
Language Family Dynamics in TOEFL iBT Scores

Presentations:

Costa-Silva, J., Zhang, S., Lee-Schoenfeld, V. "A Matter of Space: The Acquisition of Motion Lexicalization Patterns by English-Portuguese Late Bilinguals". 100th Linguistics Society of America Annual Meeting, New York.
Costa-Silva, J; Hare, B. "A Link between Languages: Manner and Path Elaboration by Highly Proficient L2 English Learners". South Carolina Spring Research Symposium.
Costa-Silva, J., Giddens, C., Kudyba, S. "Should you Google it? Analyzing Internet Myths about Language Acquisition". GATESOL: Connect, University of Georgia.
Costa-Silva, J., Lee-Schoenfeld, V. "(Syntactically) Branching out Beyond the Traditional Classroom: A Report on the Discovery Method" (poster). 2023 Spring Teaching Symposium, University of Georgia.
Kudyba, S., Giddens, C., Costa-Silva, J., Lee-Schoenfeld, V. "The Acquisition of VAC Patterns by L2 English Learners from L1 Mandarin Chinese and L1 Japanese Backgrounds" (talk). 2023 CURO Symposium, University of Georgia.
Giddens, C., Kudyba, S., Costa-Silva, J., Lee-Schoenfeld, V. "Understanding the Acquisition of English VACs by Speakers of Two Typologically Similar L1s: Brazilian Portuguese and Italian" (poster). 2023 CURO Symposium, University of Georgia.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do you also focus on non-cognitive factors?

We only marginally address these topics whenever they emerge in relation to cognition. Therefore, if you are interested in socio-emotional, contextual factors or language education/instruction per se, we strongly encourage contacting our affiliated faculty in the Department of Language and Literacy Education.

Questions?

Email our coordinator, Jean Costa-Silva, at jeancosta@uga.edu

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