معرفی
Lotfi Sayahi is a Professor of Spanish Linguistics in the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures at the University at Albany. He holds a PhD from Universidad Complutense de Madrid and has received dual teaching excellence awards: the SUNY Chancellor's Award and the University at Albany President's Award (both 2007).
His educational background centers on advanced linguistic training at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Research focuses on sociolinguistic dynamics in multilingual contexts, particularly examining contact phenomena between Spanish and Arabic in North Africa and diaspora communities. Core interests include structural variation in diglossic environments, bilingual identity formation, and grammatical adaptation in code-switching scenarios.
Recent publications reveal concentrated analysis of North African sociolinguistic landscapes (Tunisia, Morocco, Ceuta), with methodological emphasis on quantitative variation studies and ethnographic approaches to language attitudes. Key trends include diachronic analysis of Spanish-Arabic contact, vernacular normalization processes, and identity politics in post-revolutionary contexts.
Scientific recognition includes:
- SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching (2007)
- University at Albany President's Award for Excellence in Teaching (2007)
As editor of the Selected Proceedings of the Workshop on Spanish Sociolinguistics series (2003-2007) and special issue The Sociolinguistics of Tunisia (2011), he has shaped disciplinary discourse. His monograph Diglossia and Language Contact (Cambridge University Press, 2014/2019) establishes foundational frameworks for contact-induced change in Maghrebi contexts. Graduate instruction spans Sociolinguistics, Bilingualism, and Research Methods.
