Catherine Fountain

Dr. Catherine Fountain is a Professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures at Appalachian State University. She specializes in Linguistic Historiography, Language Variation and Change, and Indigenous Languages of the Americas. Her research focuses on missionary linguistics, early Spanish-language descriptions of Indigenous languages in California, and language policy in Spanish-speaking regions. She teaches Spanish, Linguistics, and Applied Linguistics/TESL courses, and coordinates the World Language Education program.

Dr. Fountain holds a PhD (2006), MA (2000), and BA (1997) in Hispanic Languages and Literatures/Linguistics from UCLA and Cornell University. She was awarded the UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award (2015) and frequently nominated for the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Advisor Award.

Her research spans colonial language documentation, missionary linguistics in Mesoamerica, and the sociolinguistic status of Spanish in the U.S. Recent publications explore topics like pitch perception in language learning and transculturation in missionary language descriptions. She bridges interdisciplinary fields, linking mathematics education with second-language acquisition in select co-authored works.

Dr. Fountain’s work emphasizes preserving Indigenous linguistic heritage and challenging monolingual norms in education. Her scholarship integrates historical, anthropological, and pedagogical perspectives, reflecting her commitment to both academic rigor and practical educational impact.