Carlos Soler Montes

Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

Spanish Linguistics, Spanish Sociolinguistics, Applied Linguistics, Second Language Teaching.

Personal profile

Biography

Dr Carlos Soler Montes is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures where he  teaches Spanish Linguistics and advanced Spanish Language courses.  He started working at The University of Edinburgh as a Teaching Fellow and e-Learning Coordinator in 2015. In 2018, he was made Lecturer, and he was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2022. He is currently Head of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies.  

Studying the Spanish language in Spain and Latin America has always been his passion and a source of inspiration. As a researcher, Carlos is particularly interested in the area of language variation from a pan-Hispanic and pluricentric perspective and how this variation can be dealt with by native speakers, as well as learners of Spanish and new speakers of the language. This is reflected in his research trajectory in Hispanic Linguistics as he has examined the ways in which Spanish grammar varies across different Hispanic regions, its particularities, cultural connections and social contacts with other languages.

Research Interests

Carlos' scholarly interests reside at the intersection of Applied Linguistics and Language Education. His publications are related to the fields of Sociolinguistics, Applied Linguistics and Second Language Pedagogy, with a particular emphasis on Language Variation, Second Language Acquisition, Language Contact and Social Bilingualism.

Since his research area reflects upon the limits of Spanish language norm, the different regional uses and how they manifest and vary, he has always been interested in investigating the role of language acquisition and learning in processes of language change too. In some of his publications Carlos explains how the recognition of Spanish geographical features gives significant clues to a deeper understanding of the language and its characteristics from the language student perspective.

Collaborative Activity

Currently, 95% of all global scientific publications takes place in English. The second language used is Spanish which accounts for 1% of the total. This has many implications at many levels. Citizens engagement with scientific discoveries across all thematic areas is highly dependant upon the ease of access to the appropriate content in their own mother language. 

Carlos' research and impact agenda supports the need to use and promote Spanish as a language of international communication and science. Influencing scientists, politicians, businesspersons, leaders and funders who have Spanish as their native language is key part to make this happen.

Since 2023, Carlos has been applying his research and sharing his knowledge to influence the scientific community and advocate for the increased use of Spanish in international scientific communications that usually are English-dominant. In order to do that he has been working with different stakeholders and organisations that have shown interest in Spanish a language of science and have asked for policy advice in the matter. Some of these institutions and key people include: the European Research Executive Agency (REA), the Network of Associations of Spanish Researchers and Scientists Abroad (RAICEX), the Society of Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom (SRUK/CERU) and the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). 

Research students

Current PhD students supervised

Principal supervisor of:

  • Paula Antela Costa (Hispanic Studies - Year 1): The use of transmediality in the Spanish Language classroom to enhance students' language skills, critical thinking and digital literacy: an inclusive approach.
  • Ana Fernández Rodríguez (Hispanic Studies - Year 1): Teaching Spanish to Spanish Heritage Language speakers in the United Kingdom.
  • Wendy Xinran Gai (Hispanic Studies - Year 2): The acquisition of Spanish phonetics and phonology by native speakers of British English.
  • Verónica Márquez Moreno (Hispanic Studies - Year 3): Constructed realities in the narrations of the political exiled bilingual children from Chile.

Past PhD students supervised

Principal supervisor of:

  • Lourdes Barquín Sanmartín (PhD in Hispanic Studies): Plurilingüismo, intercomprensión y transferencia positiva: adquisición del modo y el aspecto en español como L2 y L3.
  • Mario Saborido Beltrán (PhD in Hispanic Studies): Creencias y actitudes lingüísticas de estudiantes universitarios de español en el Reino Unido hacia las variedades dialectales del español europeo: el caso del ceceo, del seseo y de la distinción entre /s/ y /θ/. 

Assistant supervisor of: 

  • Alina Kalamova (PhD in Russian Studies): Family norms negotiation: discourse analysis of a Russian talk show. 
  • Paula Teixeira Moláns (PhD in Linguistics): Galician colour semantics: An investigation of basic colour terms.

Administrative Roles

Responsibilities & affiliations

  • Head of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies
  • Chair, UK Association for the Teaching of Spanish in Higher Education (ELEUK)
  • Vicepresident, Society of Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom (SRUK/CERU)
  • Programme Director (Spanish and Portuguese), Bilingualism Matters
  • Review Editor, Journal of Spanish Language Teaching, Routledge, Taylor and Francis

Education/Academic qualification

Applied Linguistics, Doctor in Philosophy, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija

Award Date: 16 Dec 2015

Spanish Linguistics, Master in Science, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

Award Date: 1 Nov 2006

Language Education, Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice , Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Award Date: 30 Jun 2004

Hispanic Studies, Master of Arts, University of Connecticut

Award Date: 1 Jun 2003

Spanish, Bachelor of Arts, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Award Date: 30 Jun 2001

External positions

Vice-President, Society of Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom

1 Jul 202430 Jun 2025

Member, Science in Spanish Committee, Network of Associations of Spanish Researchers and Scientist Abroad (RAICEX)

1 Feb 2024 → …

Member, Working Group on Multilingualism and language biases in research assessment , Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment: CoARA

1 Nov 2023 → …

Chair, Language Policy Committee, Society of Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom

1 Nov 2023 → …

External Examiner, University of Leeds

Dec 2022Dec 2025

Chair, UK Association for the Teaching of Spanish in Higher and Further Education (ELE-UK)

17 Jun 202220 Jun 2025

External Examiner, Regent's University London

27 Sept 202131 Jul 2025

External Examiner, University of Strathclyde

1 Jan 20201 Aug 2021

Programme Director, Bilingualism Matters

1 Sept 2019 → …

Review Editor, Journal of Spanish Language Teaching, Taylor and Francis

1 Jan 2019 → …

External Examiner, Open University

1 Sept 20181 Aug 2022

School Representative for the University Council of Modern Languages (UCML), University Council for Modern Languages

20182024

External Examiner, University of Bristol

1 Sept 20171 Aug 2020

Executive Committee Member, The International Association for the Study of Spanish in Society (SIS)

20172023

Treasurer, UK Association for the Teaching of Spanish in Higher and Further Education (ELE-UK)

20162022

Spanish Language Programmes Quality Evaluator, Instituto Cervantes

20082019

Keywords

  • P Philology. Linguistics
  • Sociolinguistics
  • Applied Linguistics
  • Dialectology
  • Second Language Teaching
  • PC Romance languages
  • Spanish

Research Themes and Networks

  • Cultural Heritage
  • Identities & Inequalities
  • Data & Digital
  • Governance & Democracy

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