The field of English Linguistics is concerned with various questions of the English language (as well as comparisons and contrasts with Japanese and other languages), such as language usage, semantic interpretation, production mechanisms of linguistic expressions, and historical transitions. The discipline’s primary focus is the discovery of linguistic reality, and students are expected to aim for their own discoveries in relation to various questions and perspectives. Although graduate students must prioritize the study of their specialist field, they may also research any related topic from semantics, pragmatics, cognitive linguistics, discourse analysis, syntax, to the history of the English language. Students are also strictly required to develop comprehensive proficiency in the English language, as many go on to work as English-language teachers in higher education institutions.

The department serves as the occasional host of the Machikaneyama Kotoba no Kai meeting and also publishes the research journal Osaka University Papers in English Linguistics (OUPEL) , which is listed in the MLA International Bibliography. Department-wide meetings are used to host presentations tailored for students, such as book reviews or conference presentation rehearsals, during which opinions are freely exchanged. See the department’s website for more details.

Professors

OKADA, Sadayuki (Ph.D.)

English Linguistics, Functional Grammar, Iconicity in Syntax, Study on Coordination and Subordination

KAMIYAMA, Takao (Ph.D.)

Comparative linguistics of Indo-European languages; phonetics

Associate Professor

TANAKA, Eri (Ph.D.)

Linguistics, Formal Semantics, Gradability