EML Presents at RSCA

On Saturday, March 2, 2024, the Department of English & Modern Languages was proudly represented at the CPP Student Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity Conference (RSCA) by two Applied Language Studies majors sharing their recent research projects in the competitive session.

Angel Galicia-Cooper presented "Syntactic Ambiguity in Spanish Adjectives," which explores the interaction of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics lying at the crux of variation in the placement of adjectives in Spanish. This project evolved from the paper Galicia-Cooper initially wrote for ENG 4211: Fundamentals of Syntax. Galicia-Cooper applied the theoretical principles of generative syntax to her analysis while at the same time drawing practical conclusions from her research applicable to teaching Spanish as an additional language and to the field of machine-based learning and AI, especially as such tools are used in translation and language learning.

M. Luna presented "Anglicization: Undercurrents of Name Change Practices," a project they began in ENG 4220: Sociolinguistics with partners Yaileen Cano and Annie Chau. The project explored the motivations for speakers of English as an additional language to anglicize their names while living, studying, and working in the US. The project drew on empirical data collected through an online survey followed by semi-structured interviews. Luna then extended the research past the class paper, which was completed in the fall semester, and delved further into the ideologies of identity, language, culture, and migration in analyzing and interpreting the survey results and the interviews.

Luna was awarded a prize for their outstanding performance at the conference. Judges were particularly impressed with Luna’s rigorous methodology and their solid theoretical analysis. Because of this, Luna has been invited to represent CPP in an upcoming CSU-wide student research competition at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on April 26 and 27, 2024. 

Congratulations to our outstanding majors on their impressive research achievements!