Brandon J. Martínez

About Me

I was born and raised in Grants, New Mexico, a small mining & ranching community nestled between Mt. Taylor, the malpaís lava flows, and the Zuni Mountains. New Mexico has a rich history of cultural interaction, with long-standing inhabitance by Native American tribes and later waves of colonization and occupation by hispanos and Anglo-Americans. Therefore, being a nuevomexicano for me means having deep respect and appreciation for our cultural and linguistic diversity. Furthermore, reclaiming Spanish as my heritage language has allowed me to develop my identity as a US Latino, and to pride myself on my mestizo roots and Chicano culture.

Academic Background (Curriculum Vitae)

As of Spring 2024, I am a second year doctoral student in Spanish Linguistics at the University of Arizona. Prior to my doctoral studies, I graduated from the University of New Mexico, earning an MA in Linguistics (2021) and a BA in Linguistics & Languages (2017). My primary research interest is the study of the US-Mexico Borderlands through the lens of sociocultural linguistics. 

A sociolinguist by training, my theoretical orientation also draws on perspectives from usage-based, critical, and translanguaging theories, as well as insights from Marxism and Chicano studies. 

Projects-in-Progress

• Solo Projects: 

  • Sociolinguistic variation in New Mexican Spanish & English

  • Pragmatic markers in Arizona Spanish 

  • Performance and ideologies of chola YouTube parodies

  • Gender subversion in Snow Tha Products' rap lyrics

• Group Projects:

  • English borrowings in Arizona Spanish; With Isabella Calafate (Baylor University), Ana Carvalho, & Hannia Rojas Barreda (University of Arizona)

  • Codeswitching in a bilingual LA radio show; With George Romero, Amelia Grace Hill, & Hannia Rojas Barreda (University of Arizona)