Summary
Santiago Arróniz is an assistant professor of Spanish linguistics at the University of Nevada, Reno. His research bridges phonetics, phonology, and computational linguistics, with a particular focus on gradient sound patterns in Spanish and their role in sound change. He combines experimental methods—such as acoustic analysis and perceptual studies—with computational approaches, including natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, and the development of tools for analyzing speech and text.
His work examines phenomena such as consonant lenition, dialectal variation in Spanish, and the perceptual thresholds that shape category stability. Beyond phonology, he is engaged in computational applications for Spanish linguistics, including NLP tools for analyzing learner writing and user-friendly interfaces for phonetic annotation and analysis workflows. He has presented and published internationally, and his projects integrate sociophonological perspectives with computational modeling to address both theoretical and applied questions.
Research interests
- Phonetics and Phonology of Spanish and Romance languages
- Gradient sound patterns and phonological representation
- Consonant lenition, spirantization, and fortition processes
- Dialectal variation, with emphasis on Western Andalusian Spanish
- Laboratory phonology and experimental approaches to sound change
- Speech perception and categorization
- Computational linguistics and natural language processing (NLP)
- Machine learning applications in phonetic and phonological research
- Corpus linguistics and digital tools for speech and text analysis
Courses taught
- SPAN 307: Writing for Spanish Heritage Speakers
- SPAN 312: Spanish Phonetics and Phonology
Education
- Ph.D., Hispanic Linguistics and Computational Linguistics, Indiana University–Bloomington, 2025
- Dissertation: Compensatory Cues of /s/ Reduction in Voiced Stop Consonants in Western Andalusian Spanish
- M.A., Linguistics, Literature, and Cultural Studies, University of Seville (Spain), 2019
- M.A., Hispanic Linguistics, Indiana University–Bloomington, 2018
- B.A., English Studies, University of Seville (Spain), 2015