About MeI am an Assistant Professor of Spanish at University at Albany, SUNY. My primary research interests are two-fold: 1) morphosyntactic variation and language change, and 2) the second language acquisition of said variation. I take a usage-based approach to my research on both first and second languages, with the assumption that the cognitive mechanisms and abilities that are involved in first language acquisition and use are the same as those that are at play for second languages. In all my research, I seek to describe, explain and track changes in patterns of variation in order to approach a better understanding of the role of variation in the acquisition and mental architecture of language.
I also have had a wide range of teaching experiences. I have taught all levels of foreign language courses as well as several upper level undergraduate and graduate linguistics and culture courses, including History of the Spanish Language, Spanish Syntax and Morphology, Grammaticalization, Foreign Language Teaching Methods, Second Language Acquisition, Individual Differences in SLA, Sociolinguistics, Spanish in the U.S. and Language Variation and Change. In all my teaching, I connect the course material to my students' experiences and create opportunities for my students to conduct real linguistic analysis and research in and outside of class. |
Contact Meszahler@albany.edu
University at Albany, SUNY Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures HUM 235 1400 Washington Ave Albany, NY, 12222 |