Dr. Silvina Montrul

Professor

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Biography

Silvina Montrul is a Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Department of Linguistics at the University of Illinois, where she has been a faculty member since 1999. Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, she completed her undergraduate education in Argentina, followed by a Master's degree in English from the University of Cincinnati and a PhD in Linguistics from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Her research focuses on second language acquisition, bilingualism, and heritage language acquisition, employing psycholinguistic methodologies to explore theoretical issues such as the nature of interlanguage and bilingual grammars. She has held significant administrative roles including Head of the Department of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese and Head of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Throughout her career, she has directed several research projects funded by prominent institutions, culminating in significant grants supporting her work in language development and cognitive processing in bilinguals. In addition to her research, Montrul teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses, facilitating an engaging learning environment.

Research Interests

Experience

Professor

1999-01-01 — Present

University of Illinois • Urbana, IL

Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Department of Linguistics, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses.

Awards

#2024

L. Bloomfield Book Award

Courses

SPAN 252: Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics SPAN 305: Structure of Spanish SPAN 307: Bilingualism SPAN/LING 588: Seminar on Language Acquisition LING 489: Theoretical Foundations of Language Acquisition LING 514: Research Design and Statistics LING 529: Language Acquisition and Bilingualism LING 560: Seminar on Bilingualism

Requirements for University of Illinois

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:17
Reading
Required:19
Writing
Required:21
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:103
GRE General
Prerequisites
Mathematical background Linear Algebra Calculus
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

GRE is optional for admission to all graduate programs in Statistics. Full status admission requires higher language scores than limited status.