Inés de la Viña

I hold a BA (Honours) in English Studies (University of Oviedo and University of Cologne) and an MA in Applied Linguistics and Language Acquisition in Multilingual Contexts (University of Barcelona). I completed my PhD in Linguistics at the University of Kent (UK), where I specialised in second language (vocabulary) acquisition, with a particular focus on how learners acquire and retrieve lexical combinations across different types of input exposure.

Following my PhD, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Bilingualism and Cognitive Development at UNED (Madrid), where I continued to explore the relationship between language learning and children's cognitive, linguistic, and social development, with a particular focus on executive functions such as inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and monitoring. During this time, I also completed a Postgraduate qualification in Advanced Applied Statistical Methods (UNED), where I gained training in advanced modelling techniques for analysing complex datasets and generating insights applicable to real-world problems.

I have been actively involved in the Vocabulary Studies Special Interest Group (SIG) of the British Association of Applied Linguistics (https://baalvocabsig.wordpress.com/), serving in a co-shared role as Co-Secretary (2022-2024) and currently as Co-Web and Communications Officer (2024-).

My doctoral research (University of Kent) focused on how second language learners acquire multiword units (MWUs), particularly collocations, through incidental and semi-incidental exposure. 

My postdoctoral research brought together bilingualism, cognitive development, and second language acquisition (SLA). At UNED (Madrid), I worked on a longitudinal project investigating the cognitive, linguistic, and social development of monolingually-raised Spanish children enrolled in bilingual education (PI: Dr Gloria Chamorro). My contributions focused on the development of executive functions (inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and monitoring), vocabulary acquisition, and Theory of Mind.

I am currently developing a new line of research examining the cognitive and psychosocial effects of second language learning in later life. This work focuses on healthy ageing and explores whether engaging in L2 learning can serve as a form of cognitive training to enhance executive function, semantic processing, and overall well-being in older adults. This emerging direction integrates my long-standing interest in language learning, cognitive development, and socially impactful research.

I have contributed to several externally funded research projects, including a study on the acquisition of complex grammar by children (PI: Dr Vikki Janke, University of Kent) and a project comparing mobile- and classroom-based second language instruction (PI: Dr Beatriz González-Fernández, University of Sheffield).

I am now involved in a project led by Dr Beatriz González-Fernández (University of Sheffield) investigating the learning, acquisition, and processing of polysemy and homonymy. This study examines second language learners' knowledge and perceptions of multiple meanings of English words, with particular emphasis on how semantic and etymological relatedness influences meaning acquisition.

My teaching is grounded in my research in second language acquisition (SLA), vocabulary development, and bilingualism, with a particular interest in integrating cognitive and psycholinguistic perspectives into classroom practice. I enjoy creating opportunities for students to connect theory with real-world language use and to engage critically with issues such as language learning, processing, and representation.