About

I am a linguist who specializes in experimental phonetics, bilingualism, and psycholinguistics. As a phonetician, my research integrates experimental approaches to examine the speech production, perception, and processing of early and late bilingual individuals, and the linguistic and extra-linguistic factors that shape their phonetic performance.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Psychology
• Linguistics
• Philosophy
• Speech recognition
• Audiology
• Medicine
• Art
• Statistics

Selected publications

• Assessing language dominance in bilingual phonetics research: The contribution of BLP indices

  International Journal of Bilingualism · 2026-03-06

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: Research in bilingual phonetics and phonology often aims to identify factors that influence specific features of “accented” speech production and perception, with the goal of explaining patterns of cross-language influence. In recent years, language dominance has emerged as a key predictive factor in bilingual phonetics research, with tools like the Bilingual Language Profile (BLP) being used to assess it. Design/methodology/approach: This paper explores the concept of language dominance and reviews studies that highlight the versatility of the BLP as an assessment tool, particularly in relation to the phonetic properties of minoritized languages in contact with Spanish, as well as Spanish in contact with English. Data and analysis: The BLP is a widely used, open-source instrument that assesses language dominance through self-reports. It generates a continuous dominance score and provides a comprehensive bilingual profile, considering multiple factors such as age of acquisition, frequency and context of language use, proficiency in different language skills, and attitudes toward each language. Findings/conclusions: This overview demonstrates that: (1) BLP indices can quantify the degree of language dominance at the individual level, useful for participant screening, grouping, or as a predictor variable in statistical analyses. (2) Language dominance is best understood as a gradient, continuous construct. (3) Bilingual groups are inherently heterogeneous, with significant variation in language dominance, and the BLP can capture this heterogeneity in fine detail. (4) BLP indices can reveal asymmetrical language dominance effects resulting from language co-activation. (5) BLP indices may not always capture differences in bilingual speech production and perception. Originality: These findings highlight the explanatory power of the BLP indices in accounting for subtle cross-linguistic phonetic influences in bilingual speech production and perception. Significance/implications: This paper introduces key methodological and theoretical considerations for future bilingual phonetics and phonology research while also offering insights into the broader applications of the BLP for understanding bilingual speech.

  PublisherDOI

• Cross-linguistic influence in the speech of Philippines-born and US-born Tagalog–English bilinguals in California

  Second language Research · 2026-02-10

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This study investigates the production of English and Tagalog voiceless stops by 14 Tagalog–English bilinguals in California, focusing on the effects of birth country and language dominance. Specifically, the study addresses three questions: (1) How do US-born heritage Tagalog speakers differ from Philippines-born heritage speakers in pronunciation? (2) How do their language-specific acoustic realizations in Tagalog and English vary as a function of birthplace? (3) How does individual language dominance influence the production of voiceless stops in both languages? Data from a reading-aloud task reveal that both US-born (Generation 2) and Philippines-born (Generations 1 and 1.5) bilinguals maintain distinct voice onset time (VOT) patterns for /p/, /t/, and /k/ in each language. Compared to US-born speakers, Philippines-born participants produce more ‘Tagalog-like’ VOTs in English, indicating phonetic convergence. Individual analyses further show that English-dominant bilinguals generally produce longer English VOTs than balanced or Tagalog-dominant speakers, whereas this trend was not statistically significant in their Tagalog VOTs. These findings illuminate the sources of cross-linguistic phonological influence and provide novel insight into the phonetic behavior of a heterogeneous and understudied diasporic community in the US, highlighting the interplay of birthplace and language dominance in heritage bilingual speech.

  PublisherDOI

• Sound communities

  Journal of Second Language Pronunciation · 2026-02-05

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Bilingualism researchers have intensively studied how learning and using multiple languages affects all levels of linguistic structure. In this strand, examining diversity in the bilingual experience and the extent to which variables like language dominance regulate crosslinguistic interaction has been of special interest. However, most studies sample small groups of bilinguals from a single research site, creating a twofold generalizability problem. First, with small samples it is unlikely that researchers will be able to fully capture and quantify the range of variables known to affect findings. Second, when bilinguals are recruited from a single site, it is impossible to determine if findings are site-specific or apply to bilinguals more broadly. To address these issues, we propose a large(r)-scale, multisite approach to bilingualism research. We believe that such an approach, when informed by open science practices, has the potential to significantly advance the state of the art.

  PublisherDOI

• Vowel Perception in Hñäñho Heritage Speakers: an ERP Study

  Heritage Language Journal · 2026-04-23

  article

  Abstract Hñäñho is an endangered Indigenous language spoken in Central Mexico, with most native speakers being Spanish-dominant heritage speakers. This study examined the extent to which Hñäñho heritage speakers ( HHS ) retain perceptual sensitivity to the vowel contrasts /a–ɔ/ and /o–ɔ/ in their heritage language. Behavioral results from AXB categorical discrimination tasks showed similar perception patterns for Hñäñho vowels in 12 HHS and 12 monolingual Mexican Spanish speakers. In contrast, Event-Related Potential ( ERP ) data from a triple-oddball task revealed an enhanced neural response in HHS between 100–200ms post-stimulus (N1) across all Hñäñho stimuli, suggesting heightened sensitivity to heritage speech sounds. This early neural effect may reflect increased arousal and attentional engagement with Hñäñho, persisting into adulthood despite limited daily use. The findings contribute to preservation efforts towards Mexican Indigenous languages by documenting HHS speech perception. The findings highlight the critical importance of sustained exposure to heritage languages.

  PublisherDOI

• Acoustic correlates of vowel reduction across generations in heritage Tagalog

  OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) · 2026-04-25

  other1st authorCorresponding

  This study examines stress-related and generational variation in the production of Tagalog vowels among fourteen early Tagalog–English bilinguals in California across three immigrant generations (G1, G1.5, G2). The study addresses three questions: (1) how do heritage speakers realize Tagalog vowels in stressed and unstressed syllables? (2) how does their language-specific acoustic realizations vary across immigrant generations? and (3) how does individual language dominance shape vowel production? Acoustic analyses of vowel duration and formant structure from a reading-aloud task show that all speakers maintained robust Tagalog vowel contrasts while differing systematically in the phonetic encoding of stress. First-generation and more Tagalog-dominant speakers primarily marked stress through durational enhancement, whereas later-generation and more English-dominant speakers increasingly relied on spectral differentiation, including vowel centralization and fronting in unstressed syllables. Generational differences were vowel-specific and concentrated in prosodically weak positions, while stressed vowels remained comparatively stable. These findings demonstrate that intergenerational language shift reshapes the acoustic implementation of stress without altering underlying phonemic structure. Consistent with adaptive models of bilingual speech learning, the results show that heritage phonological systems remain stable at the level of contrast while dynamically reorganizing phonetic cue weighting under sustained bilingual experience.

  Publisher

• Cue weighting and intergenerational change in the acoustic realization of stress in heritage Tagalog

  OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) · 2026-05-03

  other1st authorCorresponding

  This study examines stress-related and generational variation in the production of Tagalog vowels among fourteen early Tagalog–English bilinguals in California across three immigrant generations (G1, G1.5, G2). The study addresses three questions: (1) how do heritage speakers realize Tagalog vowels in stressed and unstressed syllables? (2) how does their language-specific acoustic realizations vary across immigrant generations? and (3) how does individual language dominance shape vowel production? Acoustic analyses of vowel duration and formant structure from a reading-aloud task show that all speakers maintained robust Tagalog vowel contrasts while differing systematically in the phonetic encoding of stress. First-generation and more Tagalog-dominant speakers primarily marked stress through durational enhancement, whereas later-generation and more English-dominant speakers increasingly relied on spectral differentiation, including vowel centralization and fronting in unstressed syllables. Generational differences were vowel-specific and concentrated in prosodically weak positions, while stressed vowels remained comparatively stable. These findings demonstrate that intergenerational language shift reshapes the acoustic implementation of stress without altering underlying phonemic structure. Consistent with adaptive models of bilingual speech learning, the results show that heritage phonological systems remain stable at the level of contrast while dynamically reorganizing phonetic cue weighting under sustained bilingual experience.

  Publisher

• La variación fonológica del español en contacto con el catalán en las Baleares

  2025-07-18

  otherOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Este trabajo proporciona un resumen de la investigación sobre la variación fonológica del español en contacto con el catalán en las Islas Baleares. Las características fonológicas (vocales, consonantes y aspectos prosódicos) de esta variedad del español en contacto se presentan teniendo en cuenta las variables lingüísticas y extralingüísticas que se han investigado hasta la fecha tanto en estudios de producción como de percepción. Para concluir, se sugieren posibles direcciones para investigaciones futuras en base a las lagunas existentes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Outroduction

  Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone linguistics · 2025-09-02

  book-chapterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Sound communities: A quantitative proposal for studying bilingual speech

  2025-03-03 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Bilingualism researchers have intensively studied how learning and using multiple languagesaffects all levels of linguistic structure. In this strand, examining diversity in the bilingualexperience and the extent to which variables like language dominance regulate crosslinguisticinteraction has been of special interest. However, most studies sample small groups of bilingualsfrom a single research site, creating a twofold generalizability problem. First, with small samplesit is unlikely that researchers will be able to fully capture and quantify the range of variablesknown to affect findings. Second, when bilinguals are recruited from a single site, it isimpossible to determine if findings are site-specific or apply to bilinguals more broadly. Toaddress these issues, we propose a large(r)-scale, multisite approach to bilingualism research. Webelieve that such an approach, when informed by open science practices, has the potential tosignificantly advance the state of the art.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Introduction

  Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone linguistics · 2025-09-02

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Haydée Carrasco‐Ortíz

  6 shared

• Stanislav Mulík

  5 shared

• Miquel Simonet

  University of Arizona

  2 shared

• David Birdsong

  The University of Texas at Austin

  2 shared

• Libby M. Gertken

  1 shared

• Pilar Chamorro

  1 shared

• Rajiv Rao

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  1 shared

• Melissa M. Baese‐Berk

  University of Oregon

  1 shared

Labs

• UCSC Bilingualism Research LabPI

  facilitates research focused on the linguistic, social, and cognitive consequences of knowing more than one language

Education

• Ph.D, Spanish and Portuguese

  University of Texas at Austin

  2013

Awards & honors

• National Science Foundation (NSF)
• The Hellman Fellows Fund
• UCMRPI
• William C. Powers Jr. Fellowship
• The University of California Institute for Mexico and the Un…