John I. Liontas, Ph.D. is an associate professor of foreign languages, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), and technology in education and second language acquisition (TESLA), and director and faculty of the TESLA doctoral program at the University of South Florida. Dr. Liontas is a distinguished thought leader, author, and practitioner in the fields of applied linguistics, second language acquisition (SLA), and ESL/EFL and the recipient of over two dozen local, state, regional, national, and international teaching awards and honors. In this interview, Dr. Liontas talks about his academic and professional life, particularly the development of his interest in SLA, his publications, including his forthcoming publication "The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching," as well as his focus on the research areas of idiomaticity and technology.