Victor Manteiga Montesdeoca

Victor Manteiga Montesdeoca

Associate Professor
Department of Languages and Literature Studies
Faculty of Humanities, Sports and Educational Science
Campus Porsgrunn
+47 35 02 66 16
I am an Associate Professor of English and English Didactics at the University of South-Eastern Norway. My work connects cognitive linguistics, multilingualism, and language education with a particular interest in how previously learned languages influence meaning-making processes when people use additional languages. My teaching and research are informed by classroom experience in England, Spain, and Norway, spanning primary, secondary, and upper-secondary education.

Responsibilities

​Teaching and supervision

During the 2026–2027 academic year, I am involved in the following courses and activities:

  • English 1 - Language and Language Learning 1 (MG1EN1/MG2EN1): teaching in Porsgrunn and Drammen, course coordination in Porsgrunn, and practicum follow-up
  • English 3 - Language and Language Learning 2 (MG1EN3/MG2EN3): teaching, course coordination, and practicum follow-up in Porsgrunn
  • English 4 - Tekst and Culture 2 (MG1EN4): practicum follow-up in Porsgrunn
  • English 5 – Text and Communication 1–7 (MG1EN5/MG2EN5): teaching
  • English Grammar and Usage (ENG104N): student guidance and assessment
  • Oral Communication (SFENG1): assessment

My teaching covers topics such as language acquisition, multilingualism, English grammar, communication, and the relationship between language, cognition, and classroom practice. I emphasise the connection between research and pedagogical decision-making, encouraging students to examine their assumptions, analyse language use, and apply theoretical insights to teaching.

My regular responsibilities include course coordination, syllabus and learning-resource development, examination design, assessment, and school practicum follow-up.

​I have supervised bachelor’s and master’s theses and student research-and-development projects. These have addressed topics including multilingualism, language teaching, literacy, children’s literature, and teachers’ beliefs and practices.

Competences

My research focuses on crosslinguistic influence and conceptual transfer: how patterns of conceptualisation associated with one language may influence the use of another. Through multilingual narratives, I examine what speakers choose to express and how they organise and frame events.

My doctoral research analysed narratives in English, Spanish, and Norwegian, focusing on conceptual content selection, motion-event expression, and the framing and elaboration of narrative scenes. Drawing on cognitive semantics and frame semantics, it explored meaning-related processes in second and third language production.

I am also interested in the relationship between language and cognition, as well as its implications for teaching, learning, and assessment, particularly how teachers understand and respond to multilingual learners’ language use.

My principal areas of expertise include:

  • Cognitive linguistics and cognitive semantics
  • Crosslinguistic influence and conceptual transfer
  • Multilingualism and second and foreign language learning
  • English language and English didactics
  • Language assessment and teacher education

CV

Academic and professional background

I joined USN in 2019, following school teaching in England, Spain, and Norway. Alongside my work at USN, I have served as an external examiner at NTNU and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and participated in an academic recruitment assessment committee at NTNU.

I hold a PhD in Language Acquisition in Multilingual Settings from the University of the Basque Country, awarded in 2023 with the distinctions Cum Laude and International Doctorate. My earlier qualifications include a Degree in English Philology (Licenciatura en Filología Inglesa) and a  Diploma of Advanced Studies in English Philology (Diploma de Estudios Avanzados) specialising in cognitive approaches to language, literature, and translation, both from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

I obtained Qualified Teacher Status in England in 2007, and my teaching qualifications were recognised by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training in 2014.

Publications