Reyes Llopis-García

Reyes Llopis-García

About Me

I am Reyes Llopis-García, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures at Columbia University. I am a linguist, language instructor, and teacher trainer with international recognition for my work in advancing language pedagogy. My research and teaching focus on the intersections of language pedagogy, second language acquisition, and cognitive linguistics. I am particularly interested in how evidence-based methodologies impact learning outcomes, and in how approaches informed by cognitive linguistics can make language instruction more memorable, effective, and personally meaningful for students.

Teaching and Training

At Columbia, I teach courses at all levels of Spanish language instruction, as well as the hybrid course (graduate and undergraduate) Mind and Body in Space: A Cognitive Linguistics Account of Language. I am committed to creating intellectually rigorous and inclusive learning environments, where students engage deeply with both language and culture. I genuinely enjoy teaching and helping students understand grammatical concepts in a meaningful way so that their Spanish can “take flight” and they become agents of their own discourse.

Beyond the classroom, I have extensive experience designing and leading professional development workshops for instructors around the world, with a focus on bringing cognitive linguistic insights into practical teaching strategies.

Research and Publications

My scholarship explores how the integration of cognitive linguistics into the classroom transforms the teaching and learning of second languages. I am the co-author of Qué gramática aprender, qué gramática enseñar (2012), and have co-edited several special issues in leading journals, including IRAL (“Applied Cognitive Linguistics to L2 Acquisition and Learning: Research and Convergence,” 2019) and Review of Cognitive Linguistics (“Bringing Figurative Language into Real L2 Classrooms: The Challenges of Empirical Testing,” 2024). My monograph, Applied Cognitive Linguistics and L2 Instruction, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2024.

Other Selected Publications

  • Llopis-García, R. (2022). Las metáforas enamoradas y los abrazos metonímicos. In M. del M. Galindo Merino & M. del C. Méndez Santos (Eds.), La Lingüística del Amor.
  • Martín-Gascón, B., Llopis-García, R., & Alonso-Aparicio, I. (2023). Does L2 assessment make a difference? Testing the empirical validity of applied cognitive linguistics in the acquisition of the Spanish/L2 psych-verb construction. Language Teaching Research, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688231190981
  • Llopis-García, R. (2023). Compatibilidad de la Lingüística Cognitiva Aplicada con la enseñanza de ELE. Apuntes desde el aula. Revista Española de Lingüística, 53(1), 17–40. https://doi.org/10.31810/rsel.53.1.2
  • Llopis-García, R., & Piquer-Píriz, A. M. (2024). Introduction: Lessons learned at the intersection of applied cognitive linguistics and L2 classrooms. Review of Cognitive Linguistics, 22(2), 301–308. https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00209.llo
  • Llopis-García, R., & Alonso-Aparicio, I. (2024). Shortcomings and challenges in the intersection of L2 pedagogy and applied cognitive linguistics: A case study of the Spanish simple pasts. Review of Cognitive Linguistics, 22(2), 426–449. https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00204.llo