Nicholas Henriksen

Nicholas Henriksen is an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and Professor of Spanish & Linguistics at the University of Michigan, where he has held faculty positions since 2012. His research focuses on laboratory phonology, experimental phonetics, sociophonetics, and intonational grammar in Spanish and other Romance languages. Notable projects include studies on sound change in Andalusian and Patagonian Spanish, bilingualism (Afrikaans-Spanish), and second language speech learning. He directs the Michigan Speech Production Lab and co-leads initiatives integrating gender-diverse language into Romance curricula.

Henriksen earned a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University (2010), MA in Hispanic Linguistics (2006), and BA in Spanish/Mathematics from Rutgers (2003). His teaching spans undergraduate and graduate courses in Spanish linguistics, sociolinguistics, and phonetics, emphasizing applied research and pedagogical innovation. He has received prestigious awards, including the LSA Early Career Award (2021) and the Class of 1923 Teaching Award (2018).

His research has been funded by grants from the University of Michigan ADVANCE Program and the Humanities Collaboratory, supporting projects like From Africa to Patagonia: Voices of Displacement. Collaborations include work with scholars in Argentina, South Africa, and Spain, examining language contact, heritage language maintenance, and sociolinguistic identity.

Publications span over 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, with a focus on phonetic variation, intonation, and bilingualism. He mentors graduate students in experimental phonetics and sociolinguistics, with advisees contributing to studies on Andalusian Spanish, heritage language acquisition, and voice quality.