Linguists from several countries and fields congregated in Chile from May 22-25, 2023, to share their research at the bi-annual meeting of the Chilean Linguistics Association (SOCHIL - Sociedad Chilena de Lingüística).

Lecturer Merino presented her ongoing study on oral intercultural interactions using Spanish as a lingua franca, which focuses on Spanish as a medium of intercultural communication. Her research delves into the success of comprehension and expression during oral interactions between individuals of different cultural backgrounds. By studying the mechanisms of successful comprehension, expression, and fluency in Spanish as an intercultural lingua franca, her research can guide strategies for more effective instruction and learning in second languages.

The study also explores the direct relevance of these interactions to the teaching and learning practices within the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Princeton University.