Lizanne Jill Thornton

I am a PhD candidate in the Germanic Studies Program at the University of Texas at Austin, where I specialize in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition. 

My academic background is rooted in sociolinguistics. I completed my my undergraduate studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa with a triple major in  English Literature, German Literature and Linguistics. 

My postgraduate Honors research investigated the naming and identity politics of Afrikaaps. My subsequent Masters research focused on the role that women played in the language maintenance of this historically marginalized variety of Afrikaans.

My current research explores the potential of harnessing multilingualism in second language acquisition, with a particular interest in how multilingual speakers draw on their existing linguistic knowledge as they learn and use additional languages.

In addition to my research, I am passionate about German-language teaching and creating engaging, communicative, and inclusive language learning environments.