Profile

Eliot Raynor received undergraduate degrees in Linguistics and Spanish from UNC-Chapel Hill (2003), an M.A. in Spanish from the University of South Carolina (2009), and an M.A. (2016) and PhD candidacy (2019) in Hispanic Linguistics at Indiana University. His research focuses on the agency of speakers of Gbe and Kikongo (Niger-Congo) and Embera (Chocoan) on the development of new varieties of Spanish in 16th-18th century northwestern Colombia. He currently serves as treasurer of the Society for Pidgin and Creole Linguistics. In the classroom, Eliot regularly collaborates with faculty at the Universidad de Córdoba (Montería, Colombia) and the Universidad de Caldas (Manizales, Colombia) to facilitate Spanish- and English-learner interactions with native speakers via computer-mediated communication. Beyond the university, Eliot has worked as an ESL instructor, immigration paralegal, and counselor with Habitat for Humanity. At home, Eliot shares an endlessly enriching life with his spouse, Cynthia Martínez (Rider University), and daughter, Claudia.