Current Projects

Applying my research in sociolinguistics, second language acquisition, and computational linguistics, I am currently developing a cutting-edge program, SEÑAL, that analyzes L2 Spanish compositions. SEÑAL is comprised of several Natural Language Processing (NLP) components, namely a syntactic and lexical analyzer, a spelling and grammar checker, a text classifier of L2 proficiency, and a machine translation detection system. The program has a patent pending, and it is expected to be deployed as a free web application during Spring 2022.

Currently, I am in the process of submitting an annotated corpus of Islander Creole to AILLA, the Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America. The documentation of Raizal Creole entails the development of natural language parsers and part-of-speech taggers and opens the path for the creation of NLP tools for Caribbean indigenous languages.

In addition, dialectal variation in the Valle de Aburra, Colombia, constitutes another major area of my research. Data collected on the production and perception of competing second-person singular forms of address (2PS) unveil patterns of variable use and preference of voseo across inhabitants of the Valle de Aburra based on age and sex. Specifically, my research has revealed previously undocumented syntactic and lexical patterns of 2PS usage in this variety using NLP tools. Future work will include data collected in the Spanish of Valparaiso, Chile, and the comparative analysis of 2PS in Medellin and Valparaiso.

Peer-Reviewed Articles

  1. Restrepo Ramos, F. (Forthcoming). Writing to increase complexity: Spanish L2 learners’ complexity gains in a college composition class. Hispania: Special Edition on Digital Humanities.
  2. Restrepo Ramos, F. (2015). Incidental vocabulary learning in second language acquisition: A literature review. PROFILE Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 17(1), 157-166. http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/profile.v17n1.43957

Chapters in Edited Volumes and Conference Proceedings

  1. Restrepo Ramos, F. (2021) A changing landscape of Voseo in Medellin? The momentum of Voseo in the public signage of the Valle de Aburra, Colombia. In Gubitosi, P., Ramos-Pellicia, M. (Eds), Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 35. John Benjamin Publishings. https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.35.02res
  2. Restrepo Ramos, F. (2021) Non-vibrant bilingual rhotics in a Creole-Spanish Contact Scenario. IULC Working Papers, 21(1). https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/iulcwp/article/view/31623
  3. Restrepo Ramos, F. (2021). If signs could talk: The linguistic landscape of the archipelago of San Andres, Colombia. In Leung G., Loschky M., Leusman H. (Eds.), When Creole and Spanish collide: Language and cultural contact in the Caribbean. Brill’s Caribbean Series. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004460157
  4. Restrepo Ramos, F. (2020). Public signage in a multilingual Caribbean enclave: The linguistic landscape of Old Providence and Santa Catalina, Colombia. In Pascual y Cabo D., Elola I. (Eds.), Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 27, pp. 273-294. John Benjamin Publishings. https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.27.13res
  5. Restrepo Ramos, F. (2019). A sociophonetic analysis of Islander Creole rhotics. Proceedings of the Florida Linguistics Yearly Meeting, 6(1), pp. 76-90. https://journals.flvc.org/floridalinguisticspapers/article/view/116773

Other Contributions

  1. Restrepo-Ramos, F. (2019). Confidences from the GTA Life: The Path to Professional Development. [Online] A blog contribution for Successful Teaching. Available on: https://successfulteaching.wordpress.com/
  2. Restrepo-Ramos, F. (2019). El español en Estados Unidos: Un recorrido breve por su origen y expansión. CuéntELE: Recorridos e Itinerarios. 5ta Ed., Primavera 2019, Idiomas EAFIT, Medellín, Colombia. https://issuu.com/cuentele/docs/revista_5_publicar
  3. Restrepo-Ramos, F. (2018) Gabmap - A web application for mapping dialectal diversity: Bringing insights from research to the dialectology classroom (2018). AAALGrads Newsletter, Fall 2018 Edition. https://www.aaal-gsc.org/newsletter