This course concerns contemporary Japanese linguistics, sociolinguistics and applied Japanese linguistics, based on the view that the Japanese language should be studied objectively as one instance of human languages. In the field of contemporary Japanese linguistics, students collect samples of written and spoken phrases and analyze them in an inductive and systematic manner, paying attention to such elements as grammar, vocabulary, phonemes and characters. In the field of sociolinguistics, fieldworks are conducted to identify differences in Japanese language depending on region (dialect), speaker gender and generation, as well as on occasion of language use. In the field of applied Japanese linguistics, students learn theories of second language education and acquisition and carry out research into second language use, acquisition and education. In all three fields, students study Japanese linguistics while at the same time paying attention to new linguistic theory and contrastive linguistic studies. KUDO, Mayumi (Ph.D.) Japanese Linguistics; Japanese Grammar and Discourse, Japanese Language Education for School Students SANADA, Shinji (Ph.D.) Sociolinguistics, Dialectology; Language in Japanese Society TOKI, Satoshi (B.A.) Phonetics and Phonology of Modern Japanese and Its Application in Teaching Japanese AOKI, Naoko (Ph.D.) Applied Linguistics; Second Language Pedagogy, Methodology of Teacher Education ISHII, Masahiko (M.Lit.) Japanese Linguistics, Mathematical Linguistics; Study on Present-day Japanese Vocabulary SHIBUYA, Katsumi (Ph.D.) Sociolinguistics; Language Variation and Historical Change