Faculty News
Faculty News
Faculty News
Our faculty open doors to new experiences and reach new heights of acheivement.
On March 24, 2023, Hélène Boulanger, president of the Université de Lorraine, awarded Steven Dworkin a Doctorate Honoris Causa in recognition of his numerous contributions to the Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman project, his work on the Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman project, as well as his dedication to field of Romance historical linguistics.
On March 24, 2023, Hélène Boulanger, president of the Université de Lorraine, awarded Steven Dworkin a Doctorate Honoris Causa in recognition of his numerous contributions to the Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman project, his work on the Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman project, as well as his dedication to field of Romance historical linguistics.
Lorenzo García-Amaya, Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, and co-director of the Speech Production Lab created a Ted-Ed Lesson, titled “Why do we, like, hesitate when we, um, speak?” has reached more than two million views online and over three thousand five hundred comments. The lesson focuses on how seemingly insignificant interruptions are actually quite meaningful in spoken communication. It has been translated into numerous languages, including Spanish, Italian, and Arabic.
Check out the video on the Ted Ed website or on Youtube.
Lorenzo García-Amaya, Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, and co-director of the Speech Production Lab created a Ted-Ed Lesson, titled “Why do we, like, hesitate when we, um, speak?” has reached more than two million views online and over three thousand five hundred comments. The lesson focuses on how seemingly insignificant interruptions are actually quite meaningful in spoken communication. It has been translated into numerous languages, including Spanish, Italian, and Arabic.
Check out the video on the Ted Ed website or on Youtube.
Nick Henriksen received the 2023 Michigan Humanities Award for "The cultural legacy of the Patagonian Boers: A racio-linguistic approach".
He also received the University of Michigan LSA Summer Research Program Award for "Social attitudes of Andalusian Spanish with a total award of $6,000.
Lastly, Nick was awarded the University of Michigan New Initiatives/New Instruction (NINI) Grant for his proposal "Integrating gender-diverse language into the Romance curriculum" with a total of $66,040.
Nick Henriksen published multiple papers in 2023, three of which he was the principal author; collaborating with faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students. His work often evolves from projects started in the classroom as lessons of Spanish linguistics which quickly become more complex work in the Speech Production Lab or Honors Theses, which then, out of passion for the Spanish language and linguistics, become fully published papers such as the following:
Nick Henriksen received the 2023 Michigan Humanities Award for "The cultural legacy of the Patagonian Boers: A racio-linguistic approach".
He also received the University of Michigan LSA Summer Research Program Award for "Social attitudes of Andalusian Spanish with a total award of $6,000.
Lastly, Nick was awarded the University of Michigan New Initiatives/New Instruction (NINI) Grant for his proposal "Integrating gender-diverse language into the Romance curriculum" with a total of $66,040.
Nick Henriksen published multiple papers in 2023, three of which he was the principal author; collaborating with faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students. His work often evolves from projects started in the classroom as lessons of Spanish linguistics which quickly become more complex work in the Speech Production Lab or Honors Theses, which then, out of passion for the Spanish language and linguistics, become fully published papers such as the following:
Henriksen, Nicholas, Amber Galvano, & Micha Fischer. (2023). Sound change in Western Andalusian Spanish: Investigation into the actuation and propagation of post-aspiration. Journal of Phonetics, 98, 1–21.
Henriksen, Nicholas, Shayna Greenley, & Amber Galvano. (2023). Sociophonetic investigation of the Spanish alveolar trill /r/ in two canonical-trill varieties. Language and Speech. 1–39.
Henriksen, Nicholas, Amber Galvano, & Micha Fischer. (2023). Sound change in Western Andalusian Spanish: Investigation into the actuation and propagation of post-aspiration. Journal of Phonetics, 98, 1–21.
Henriksen, Nicholas, Shayna Greenley, & Amber Galvano. (2023). Sociophonetic investigation of the Spanish alveolar trill /r/ in two canonical-trill varieties. Language and Speech. 1–39.
Faculty Awards
Steven Dworkin was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Université de Lorraine in recognition of his numerous contributions to the Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman project, his work on the Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman project, as well as his dedication to field of Romance historical linguistics.
Steven Dworkin was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Université de Lorraine in recognition of his numerous contributions to the Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman project, his work on the Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman project, as well as his dedication to field of Romance historical linguistics.
Larry La Fountain-Stokes, Chair of American Culture, professor of Spanish as well as Women’s and Gender Studies, Larry La-Fountain Stokes recently gave an interview with CNN about drag throughout history as a way to go against gender norms. This article additionally examines current attitudes in the United States toward drag performances, the fate of drag as an art form, as well as being a prominent part of LGBTQ culture.
Read the full article here.
Larry La Fountain-Stokes, Chair of American Culture, professor of Spanish as well as Women’s and Gender Studies, Larry La-Fountain Stokes recently gave an interview with CNN about drag throughout history as a way to go against gender norms. This article additionally examines current attitudes in the United States toward drag performances, the fate of drag as an art form, as well as being a prominent part of LGBTQ culture.
Read the full article here.
Karla Mallette's book, Lives of the Great Languages Arabic and Latin in the Medieval Mediterranean
Karla Mallette, Chair of Middle East Studies and Professor of Italian Studies, was awarded the thirteenth annual Modern Language Association of America Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Comparative Literary Studies for her book, Lives of the Great Languages: Arabic and Latin in the Medieval Mediterranean (University of Chicago Press, 2021). The Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Comparative Literary Studies is awarded the most extraordinary works in the field of comparative literature over the previous year.
Mallette's book discusses crucial issues of language learning and culture in the Middle Ages through early modernity, as well as monolingualism in our multicultural (and multilingual) society.
Michela Russo, co-founder of the Romance Languages and Literatures' Gender Diversity Committee was recently invited to speak at a University of Minnesota Foreign Language Seminar.
The seminar discussed how Romance languages in particular have traditionally been strict in terms of gender expression. However, more recently the languages are adapting and becoming more inclusive of gender-diverse individuals. In turn, this impacts Romance language curricula at the University of Minnesota and beyond.
Check out the full article on The Minnesota Daily.
Michela Russo, co-founder of the Romance Languages and Literatures' Gender Diversity Committee was recently invited to speak at a University of Minnesota Foreign Language Seminar.
The seminar discussed how Romance languages in particular have traditionally been strict in terms of gender expression. However, more recently the languages are adapting and becoming more inclusive of gender-diverse individuals. In turn, this impacts Romance language curricula at the University of Minnesota and beyond.
Check out the full article on The Minnesota Daily.
Ana Sabau's book, Riot and Rebellion in Mexico: The Making of a Race War Paradigm.
Ana Sabau Fernandez was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. Her research focuses on the study of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Latin American written and visual culture, with a special emphasis on Mexico. Sabau’s first book, Riot and Rebellion in Mexico: The Making of a Race War Paradigm (University of Texas Press, 2022), challenges the conventional narratives of Mexican history and establishes race-making as a central instrument for the repression of social upheaval in nineteenth-century Mexico rather than a relic of the colonial-era caste system. Riot and Rebellion won the 2023 Best Book in the Humanities award for the Mexico Section of the Latin American Studies Association.
Ana Sabau Fernandez was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. Her research focuses on the study of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Latin American written and visual culture, with a special emphasis on Mexico. Sabau’s first book, Riot and Rebellion in Mexico: The Making of a Race War Paradigm (University of Texas Press, 2022), challenges the conventional narratives of Mexican history and establishes race-making as a central instrument for the repression of social upheaval in nineteenth-century Mexico rather than a relic of the colonial-era caste system. Riot and Rebellion won the 2023 Best Book in the Humanities award for the Mexico Section of the Latin American Studies Association.
Michigan Housing Honored Instructors 2022-2023
We would like to recognize the nominated RLL Faculty for their excellence! Here is the full list of nominees.
"Since 2018, Michigan Housing has provided residential students an opportunity to honor the instructors who make a positive impact on their collegiate journey at the University of Michigan. Michigan Housing is excited to continue to celebrate the incredible faculty and instructors that inspire our students each and every day."
Tatiana Calixto
Adrion Dula
José Luis Fernández-Garcia
Kathleen Forrester
Sabine Gabaron
Elizabeth Houbeck
George Hoffmann
Michelle Orecchio
Teresa Piper
Rashmi Rama
Sandra Rodriguez-Bontemps
Rachelle Wilson
Tatiana Calixto
Adrion Dula
José Luis Fernández-Garcia
Kathleen Forrester
Sabine Gabaron
Elizabeth Houbeck
Tatiana Calixto
Adrion Dula
José Luis Fernández-Garcia
Kathleen Forrester
Sabine Gabaron
Elizabeth Houbeck
George Hoffmann
Michelle Orecchio
Teresa Piper
Rashmi Rama
Sandra Rodriguez-Bontemps
Rachelle Wilson
George Hoffmann
Michelle Orecchio
Teresa Piper
Rashmi Rama
Sandra Rodriguez-Bontemps
Rachelle Wilson
Every single gift matters in RLL. Your generosity allows RLL students to experience the world.
From funding to support international programs to events with leading scholars from around the world, RLL continues to create opportunities for students to explore the world around them and to prepare for their future as global citizens.
With your help, we can continue to open doors and minds. Learn how your gift can make a difference.
Every single gift matters in RLL. Your generosity allows RLL students to experience the world.
From funding to support international programs to events with leading scholars from around the world, RLL continues to create opportunities for students to explore the world around them and to prepare for their future as global citizens.
With your help, we can continue to open doors and minds. Learn how your gift can make a difference.
