Cecilia Montes-Alcalá

Director of Spanish Program, Associate Professor of Spanish & Linguistics

Member Of:
  • School of Modern Languages
  • ADVANCE IAC
Office Location: Swann 223
Related Links:
Email Address: cecilia@gatech.edu

Overview

Dr. Cecilia Montes-Alcalá received her PhD in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She joined the Georgia Tech faculty in 2004 as an Assistant Professor of Spanish & Linguistics in the School of Modern Languages.

A specialist in sociolinguistics, bilingualism and languages in contact, she has presented her work at numerous national and international conferences. Her recent publications include journal articles such as "Bilingual Texting in the Age of Emoji: Spanish–English Code-Switching in SMS” (Languages 9.4: 2024) and "The Dual Role of Code-Switching in Alejandro Morales’s Reto en el Paraíso(Forum for Modern Language Studies 60.1: 2024: Oxford University Press); the co-edited volume (with Talia Bugel) New Approaches to Language Attitudes in the Hispanic and Lusophone World, Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins series Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics (2020); and book chapters such as “Bilingualism and Biculturalism: Spanish, English, Spanglish?” (Routledge Handbook of Chicana/o Studies. Eds. Denise Segura, Francisco A. Lomelí and Elyette Benjamin-Labarthe. Routledge, 2018) and “Socio-Pragmatic Functions of Codeswitching in Nuyorican and Cuban American Literature” (Spanish-English codeswitching in the Caribbean and the U.S., Eds. Rosa E. Guzzardo Tamargo et al. John Benjamins, 2016).

Dr. Montes-Alcalá has received research support from CIBER, the Georgia Tech Foundation, and Ivan Allen College among other funding sources and she also holds a number of awards from Emory University, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). She teaches courses in bilingualism, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and Spanish culture and history. She is also director of the Spanish Program and the Spain LBAT summer program in Madrid.

Education:
  • Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • B.A./ M.A. in English Language & Literature, University of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), Spain
Areas of
Expertise:
  • Bilingualism
  • Sociolinguistics

Interests

Research Fields:
  • Linguistics
  • Spanish
Geographic
Focuses:
  • United States
Issues:
  • Dialectical Linguistics
  • Languages in Contact

Courses

  • LING-2001: Intro To Language I
  • SPAN-3101: Conversation I
  • SPAN-3211: Spain Today
  • SPAN-3694: Seminar Abroad
  • SPAN-3823: Special Topics
  • SPAN-3833: Special Topics
  • SPAN-4165: Bilingualism-Span World
  • SPAN-4170: Span Applied Linguistics
  • SPAN-4270: Span Sociolinguistics
  • SPAN-4500: Intercultural Seminar
  • SPAN-6170: Applied Linguistics
  • SPAN-6270: Span Sociolinguistics
  • SPAN-6500: Intercultural Seminar

Publications

Recent Publications

Book - Editors

  • New Approaches to Language Attitudes in the Hispanic and Lusophone World.
    Date: May 2020

    The analysis of language attitudes is important not only because attitudes can affect language maintenance and language change but also because such reflections and discussions can bring light to social, cultural, political and educational matters that require an interdisciplinary approach. This volume fills a crucial void in the field of Hispanic and Lusophone linguistics by introducing the latest production in the discipline of attitudes toward Spanish, Spanish sign language, Portuguese, Guarani and Papiamentu around the world, from South America and the Caribbean to the United States, Spain and Japan. The studies presented in this collection – a variety of sociolinguistic scenarios and methodological approaches – will make an important contribution to theoretical discussions on linguistic attitudes, specifically in the domains of language integration through education, language policy, and language maintenance. This book is intended for sociolinguists, social scientists and scholars in the humanities as well as graduate students enrolled in sociolinguistics courses.

    View All Details about New Approaches to Language Attitudes in the Hispanic and Lusophone World.

Journal Articles

Chapters

All Publications

Book - Editors

  • New Approaches to Language Attitudes in the Hispanic and Lusophone World.
    Date: May 2020

    The analysis of language attitudes is important not only because attitudes can affect language maintenance and language change but also because such reflections and discussions can bring light to social, cultural, political and educational matters that require an interdisciplinary approach. This volume fills a crucial void in the field of Hispanic and Lusophone linguistics by introducing the latest production in the discipline of attitudes toward Spanish, Spanish sign language, Portuguese, Guarani and Papiamentu around the world, from South America and the Caribbean to the United States, Spain and Japan. The studies presented in this collection – a variety of sociolinguistic scenarios and methodological approaches – will make an important contribution to theoretical discussions on linguistic attitudes, specifically in the domains of language integration through education, language policy, and language maintenance. This book is intended for sociolinguists, social scientists and scholars in the humanities as well as graduate students enrolled in sociolinguistics courses.

    View All Details about New Approaches to Language Attitudes in the Hispanic and Lusophone World.

Journal Articles

Chapters