Dr. Ala Simonchyk is an Instructional Associate Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Mississippi, with a specialization in Slavic languages.
Research Interests
Dr. Simonchyk’s research interests focus on the psycholinguistic and pedagogical aspects of second language acquisition. Her work examines the relationships among key domains of phonological development, such as perception, production, lexical encoding, and orthography, providing a holistic perspective on how learners acquire the sound system of another language. She also explores the role of learners’ first language in L2 processing, learning and teaching. As an Isom Fellow, Dr. Simonchyk is currently investigating how gender influences language learning, with particular attention to learners’ goals, motivations, strategies, and experiences.
Biography
Dr. Ala Simonchyk obtained her B.A. in Modern Languages from Minsk State Linguistic University (2003), M.A. in TESOL from St. Cloud State University (2010), M.A. in Slavic Linguistics from Indiana University (2012) and her dual Ph.D. in Second Language Studies and Slavic Linguistics from Indiana University (2017).
With more than twenty years of teaching experience, Dr. Simonchyk has taught English and Russian across a wide range of instructional contexts and to diverse student populations. She was a certified ACTFL OPI rater of Russian from 2013 to 2023, and served as Head of the Summer Russian Program at the Indiana University Language Workshop from 2022 to 2024. Since 2019, Dr. Simonchyk has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in general linguistics, second language acquisition, and pedagogy at the University of Mississippi.
Publications
Simonchyk, A. & Darcy, I. (2023). Development of production skills in the absence of precise phonolexical representations. Second Language Research, 39 (3), 623-648. doi.org/10.1177/02676583211066291
Simonchyk, A., & Darcy, I. (2018). The effect of orthography on the lexical encoding of palatalized consonants in L2 Russian. Language and Speech, 61(4), 522-546. doi.org/10.1177/0023830918761490
Simonchyk, A., & Darcy, I. (2017). Lexical encoding and perception of palatalized consonants in L2 Russian. In M. O’Brien & J. Levis (Eds.), Proceedings of the 8th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, (pp. 121-132). Ames, IA: Iowa State University.
Simonchyk, A. (2017). Acquisition of the feature [+voice] in word-final position by native speakers of Russian. Indiana University Linguistics Club Working Papers, 17, 1-27.
Simonchyk, A., & Darcy, I. (2015). Acquisition of word-final devoicing by American learners of Russian. In J. Levis, R. Mohamed, M. Qian & Z. Zhou (Eds.), Proceedings of the 6th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, (pp. 85-94). Ames, IA: Iowa State University.
Courses Taught
- LIN 200 Introduction to Linguistic Science
- LIN 303 Phonology
- LIN 306 Semantics and Pragmatics
- LIN 350 Teaching ESL
- LIN 399 Psycholinguistics
- LIN 572 Cultural Dimension of Language Education/SLA
- LIN 599 Language in Mind
- LIN 600 Fundamentals of Applied Linguistics
- LIN 651 Instructed SLA
- LIN 670 Psycholinguistic Research in SLA
- RUSS 111 Intensive Elementary Russian
- RUSS 211 Intensive Elementary Russian
- RUSS 301 Conversation and Composition I
- RUSS 302 Conversation and Composition II
Education
B.A. Modern Languages, Indiana University-Bloomington (2003)
M.A. Slavic Languages, Indiana University-Bloomington (2012)
Ph.D. Slavic Languages, Indiana University-Bloomington (2017)