Dr. Lorenzo García Amaya

Biography

The impetus of my research is to understand how adults who have already mastered one or more languages become fluent in a completely new language. I am keenly interested in how multilinguals maintain fluency and how bilingual lives interact based on key principles of psycholinguistic theory. My work addresses questions related to traditionally instructed language (L2) learners and multilingual speakers with minimal language instruction. In diverse communities, I study the interconnected facets of language acquisition while bringing together several key areas: the development of L2 fluency in study-abroad contexts, the examination of language use in different learning environments, and the role of audiovisual input in L2 learning. By exploring L2 fluency, I delve into cognitive abilities, lexical access, attention control, and working memory, which all influence the development of second-language speech. I additionally examine the role of hesitation phenomena in processing mechanisms, as well as the effects of language immersion contexts on second-language development. One of my significant collaborations investigates the relationship between language and cultural identity, focusing on the Patagonian Boers community in Argentina. My research journey continues to evolve as I increasingly recognize the importance of collaboration in uncovering connections between seemingly unrelated projects.

Research Interests

Experience

Courses