Overall, my research focuses on how language varies and changes over time in first and second language Spanish. I focus on the linguistic, social and cognitive factors that affect this variation, as well as how their effect changes over time or with learner experience with Spanish. Below are some examples of my ongoing research projects.
The role of cognitive individual differences in second language acquisition
In a series of completed and ongoing projects, I am examining the role of executive working memory and phonological short-term memory in the second language development. One strand of this research examines the relationship between executive working memory and the production of morphosyntactic structures, such as subject expression, future temporal reference, gender marking, and verbal agreement in second language Spanish. The other strand of this research investigates the relationship between phonological short-term memory and second language pronunciation of various second language Spanish sounds, such as vowels and VOT length of voiceless stops.
The acquisition of sociolinguistic variation in second language Spanish
Much of my research centers on how second language learners acquire patterns of sociolinguistic variation in Spanish, both in the at-home context and during study abroad. For example, a colleague and I are currently investigating whether study abroad learners in Chile and Spain demonstrate patterns of variation in perfective marking that develop differently given that they are in contact with regional varieties of Spanish in which perfective actions are marked distinctly. In another collaborative study, I investigated how linguistic factors, such as word frequency, and learner characteristics, such as sex, contribute to variation in pronunciation of the Spanish trill. Additionally, in a collaboration with two colleagues, we are completing a co-edited volume on study abroad and the second language acquisition of sociolinguistic variation in Spanish. This volume is under contract and we are currently reviewing revised manuscripts.
Language variation and change in native Spanish
I also research how languages varies and changes over time in native speaker Spanish, particularly regarding morphosyntactic variation. For example, I have completed several research projects on grammaticalization in Spanish (and French) in forms expressing the future, future-in-the-past and perfect. Additionally, I am expanding a prior collaborative project on the relationship of priming and frequency to variation on negative quantiers + más in Venezuelan Spanish. This new project examines variation in this structure in two additional dialects in collaboration with several of my graduate students.
Publications
Edited Volumes
Zahler, S. L., Long, A. Y. & Linford, B. (Eds.) [Under contract]. Study abroad and the second language acquisition of sociolinguistic variation in Spanish.
Journal articles
Zahler, S.L. (Forthcoming). Speech strategy sequencing in online personal advertisements: Differences according to sex and sexual orientation in Mexico City and London. Gender and Language.
Daidone, D., & Zahler, S. L. (Forthcoming). A variationist analysis of second language Spanish trill production. Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics.
Díaz-Campos, M. & Zahler, S. L. (2018). Testing formal accounts of variation: A sociolinguistic analysis of word order in negative word + más constructions. Hispania, 101(4), 605-619.
Linford, B., Zahler, S. L., & Whatley, M. (2018). Acquisition, study abroad and individual differences: The case of subject pronoun variation in L2 Spanish. Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education, 3(2), 243-274.
Book chapters
Daidone, D. & Zahler, S. L. (2016). The future is in the past: A diachronic analysis of variable future-in-the-past expression in Spanish. In A. Cuza, L. Czerwionka, & D. Olson (Eds.) Inquiries in Hispanic linguistics: From theory to empirical evidence (pp. 317-334). Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/ihll.12.17dai
Refereed Working Papers
Zahler, S. L. (2015). Pragmalinguistic variation in electronic personal ads from Mexico City and London. Indiana University Linguistics Club Working Papers, 15(1), 208-230.
Zahler, S. L. & Daidone, D. (2014). A variationist account of trill /r/ usage in the Spanish of Málaga. Indiana University Linguistics Club Working Papers, 14(2), 17-42.
Submitted
Zahler, S. L. & Lord, G. (Accepted). The role of phonological short-term memory in second language phonology: Exploring vowel quality among English-speaking learners of Spanish.
Zahler, S. L. & Whatley, M. (Accepted). Learning context and the development of second language Spanish past-time perfective marking at home and abroad.
Zahler, S. L. (Under review). Measuring individual differences: A look at working memory. The Routledge Handbook of SLA and Sociolinguistics.
Selected Conference Presentations
Zahler, S. L. (October, 2019). "Second language learners and working memory: Production of gender agreement in advanced Spanish". Paper presented at the 2019 Hispanic Linguistics Symposium (HLS 2019), University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. (September, 2019). "Individual differences in L2 pronunciation: The relationship between phonological memory and L2 Spanish VOT length". Paper presented at the 2019 Second Language Research Forum (SLRF 2019), Michigan State University, Lansing, MI. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. (October, 2018). "The relationship between working memory and the acquisition of variable subject expression by second language learners of Spanish." Paper presented at the 2018 Second Language Research Forum (SLRF 2018), Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada. Powerpoint. Zahler, S. L. (October, 2018). "The role of cognitive constraints in language variation: The relationship between working memory and subject expression variation in Spanish." Paper presented at New Ways of Analyzing Variation 47 (NWAV 47), New York University, New York, NY. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. & Lord, G. (February, 2018). "The role of phonological short-term memory in Spanish second language phonology: Exploring vowel quality and duration among English-speaking learners." Paper presented at the 10th Current Approaches to Spanish and Portuguese Second Language Phonology (CASPSLaP 2018), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. & Whatley, M. (October, 2017). “Regional variation and the L2 acquisition of variable Spanish perfective marking.” Paper presented at the 2017 Hispanic Linguistics Symposium (HLS 2017), Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX. Powerpoint.
Daidone, D. & Zahler, S. L. (March, 2017). “Structural and frequency effects on the variable production of Spanish L2 taps and trills.” Paper presented at the Georgetown University Round Table of Languages and Linguistics (GURT 2017), Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. & Daidone, D. (November, 2016). “A diachronic analysis of variable future-in-the-past and canonical future expression in Spanish.” Poster presented at New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV 45), Simon Frasier University and University of Victoria, Vancouver, B.C. Poster.
Daidone, D. & Zahler, S. L. (November, 2014). “The future is in the past: A diachronic analysis of variable future-in-the-past expression in Spanish.” Paper presented at the 2014 Hispanic Linguistics Symposium (HLS 2014), Purdue University, Lafayette, IN. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. & Díaz-Campos, M. (October, 2014). “Priming effects in the use of más + negative constructions: A quantitative analysis of oral data.” Paper presented at New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV 43), University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. & Elias, M. V. (September, 2014). “Spanish in context: Stop-tap clusters in a contact zone in Colorado.” Paper presented at the 43rd Meeting of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest (LASSO 43), California State University- San Marcos, San Diego, CA. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. (April, 2014). “Speech strategy variation in Mexico City Spanish and London English in online personal advertisements.” Paper presented at Pragmatics and Language Learning 2014 (PLL 2014), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Powerpoint.
Whatley, M., Zahler, S. L., Geeslin, K., & Díaz-Campos, M. (April, 2014). “The impact of study abroad on the acquisition of the Spanish copula contrast.” Paper presented at the 7th Workshop on Spanish Sociolinguistics (WSS7), University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Powerpoint.
Day, M. M. & Zahler, S. L. (April, 2014). “Tener + past participle: The early stages.” Paper presented at the 2014 Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (KFLC 2014), University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. Powerpoint.
Daidone, D. & Zahler, S. (March, 2014). “A variationist study of the L2 production of Spanish trills.” Paper presented at the 4th Current Approaches to Spanish and Portuguese Second Language Phonology (CASPSLaP 2014), Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Powerpoint.
Linford, B., Zahler, S. L., & Whatley, M. (November, 2013). “The impact of study abroad on L2 Spanish null v. overt subject pronoun variation.” Paper presented at the 2013 Second Language Research Forum (SLRF 2013), Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. & Daidone, D. (October, 2013). “A variationist account of trill /r/ usage in the Spanish of Málaga.” Paper presented at the 17th Hispanic Linguistics Symposium (HLS 2013), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario. Powerpoint.
Díaz-Campos, M. & Zahler, S. L. (October, 2013). “Testing previous formal accounts of variation in word order in negative word + más constructions.” Paper presented at New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV 42), University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. (September, 2013). “A computer-mediated discourse analysis and contrastive pragmatics approach to the study of personal ads from Mexico City and London.” Paper presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest (LASSO 42), College of New Jersey and Westchester University, New Brunswick, NJ. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. (October, 2012). “A sociolinguistic study of subject doubling in Parisian Colloquial French.” Paper presented at New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV 41), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. (October, 2012). “Tener + past participle: Towards a new present perfect form in Modern Peninsular Spanish?” Paper presented at New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV 41), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. (March, 2012). “Rhotic neutralization versus contrast maintenance in the Spanish of the United States.” Paper presented at the 2012 Georgetown University Roundtable on Linguistics (GURT 2012), Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Powerpoint.
Zahler, S. L. (October, 2011). “¿Desde cuándo? Temporal prepositions meaning ‘since’ in modern peninsular Spanish and the effect of ‘when’ on their variation.” Paper presented at the 40th Annual New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV 40), Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Powerpoint.