Suzanne Carla Franks

Suzanne Carla Franks is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Illinois, affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. She also holds a part-time teaching role at the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies.

• PhD (2014), Linguistics, University of Georgia
• MA (1991), TESL, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Her research bridges applied linguistics and language pedagogy, focusing on Second Language Acquisition, Phonetics, and Phonology. Key themes include the integration of Corpus Linguistics into pronunciation teaching, the role of Speech Analysis in fluency assessment, and the application of Technology to enhance language learning. Publications demonstrate her expertise in Portuguese as a Foreign Language and English as a Second Language, with a strong emphasis on computational methods and pedagogical innovation.

Franks has contributed to authoritative works such as the TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, addressing topics like Accent Reduction, Language Teaching Strategies, and the Use of Corpora in curriculum design. Her work frequently connects Acoustic Features to learner performance, offering practical insights for educators.