Ana Sánchez-Muñoz, PhD

Research: 

My research is in the broader area of sociolinguistics and includes the investigation of bilingual situations, heritage languages in minority or minoritized communities, language ideologies, and situations of language contact. In particular, I have done extensive work on Spanish as a heritage language, examining how Spanish is developed, used, and maintained by heritage speakers of Spanish in the U.S. This continues to be my main area of research, including not only the status and vitality of U.S. Spanish, but also investigating linguistic ideologies, ethnic and linguistic identity, and advocating for linguistics rights and justice among minoritized languages, speakers, and their communities. 

 

I have also explored the characteristics of heritage learners of Spanish and investigated pedagogical approaches for the promotion and creation of language programs specifically designed for the needs of heritage learners. As part of these efforts, I am a core member of the Spanish as a Heritage Language Directors Network (SHLDNet), where we provide support to other heritage language professionals around the U.S., we exchange ideas and research, and we promote and develop free and accessible programming related to Spanish as a Heritage Language.

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Additionally, I have examined various aspects affecting immigrant communities in Southern California and I have co-edited two books on this area: Learning English/Learning America: Voices of Latinos and Asian-Americans (2008) and Navigating the Great Recession: Immigrant Families' Stories of Resilience (2011).

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As part of my research on dialect contact among different varieties of Spanish throughout the Spanish-speaking world, I was the recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to Uruguay in 2021, where I examined 1) migrant identity formation through the use of language among speakers of different dialects of Spanish in Uruguay; and 2) code-switching and other language contact phenomena along the Uruguayan-Brazilian border. 

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My current research projects include:

• Language and Migration: As part of the interdisciplinary team of MigraMedios Uruguay, I co-lead the area of Language and Education in Uruguay with Dr. Mónica Da Silva. This line of research examines social and media discourses around education and migration; particularly analyzing the role of language variation in the educational experience of migrant students in Uruguay (in progress, awarded 2022 and funded through 2027).

• Sociolinguistics Justice en Comunidad: A Community Engagement Project co-lead with Dr. Laura Ruth-Hirrel (CSUN) that aims to promote sociolinguistic knowledge in local high schools and increase awareness about linguistic justice among minoritized communities (in progress, established 2022 and funded through 2025).

• Spanish Heritage Language and Latinx Academic Success: A multi-geographical research team conducting a longitudinal study—quantitative and qualitative—to determine the impact of Heritage Language courses on retention, completion and career/professional formation to help close the Latinx Achievement Gap (in progress, data collection began in 2023 and is projected through 2028).

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Teaching

These are the courses I teach/have taught at CSUN:

Chicana/o Studies Department

Chicana/o Culture

Spanish for Heritage Speakers I & II

Academic Writing

Language and Society: Chicanas/os and Other Language Minorities

Language Acquisition of the Chicana/o and other ESL Speakers

Senior Seminar (Emphasis on Educational Linguistics)

Graduate Seminar on Language in Chicanx Communities

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Linguistics/TESL Department

Language, Gender, and Identity

Bilingualism

Sociolinguistics (undergraduate and graduate)

Languages in Contact

Comprehensive Exam Course

Thesis Course