Laura Solano-Escobar

Dr. Solano-Escobar is an Assistant Professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She holds a PhD and an MA in Linguistics from Purdue University. Her research focuses on the acquisition of Spanish as both a heritage and a second language. Dr. Solano-Escobar examines factors such as the age of onset of bilingualism, cross-language interaction, language dominance, and experience in shaping bilingual speakers' linguistic development. Her work bridges theoretical and applied linguistics, aiming to expand our understanding of bilingualism while advocating for the significance of heritage and second languages in bilingual communities. In addition to her research, Dr. Solano-Escobar is committed to fostering a rich, engaging learning environment for her students. She integrates her expertise in bilingualism into her courses, which include both language acquisition and Spanish for bilinguals.
Outside of her academic work, Dr. Solano-Escobar enjoys exploring new languages, cultures, and cuisines.

Education

Ph.D. in Linguistics, Purdue University.
M.A. in Linguistics, Purdue University.
B.A. in Foreign Language Teaching, Universidad del Atlántico, Barranquilla-Colombia.

Specialization in Teaching

Spanish for heritage speakers
Bilingualism
Hispanic linguistics

Research Interests

Heritage Language Acquisition and Development
Second Language Acquisition
Spanish morphosyntax
Spanish in the United States.