The Japanese Linguistics Department focuses on research in the fields of Contemporary Japanese Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, and Japanese Language Education. Contemporary Japanese Linguistics is concerned with descriptive and theoretical research into the grammar, vocabulary, phonemes, and transcription of the Japanese language, while the field of Sociolinguistics comprises sociological research into the diversity of the Japanese language and accompanying linguistic issues. The study of Japanese Language Education is targeted at qualitative research into the acquisition and use of Japanese as a primary and secondary language as well as teaching Japanese as a second language. As a whole, these fields aim to clarify the specific characteristics of the Japanese language and Japanese-language speaking communities.

Non-Japanese graduate students are considered just as much a part of the department as Japanese students. Both overseas and resident students can be found enthusiastically debating the Japanese language in and out of the classroom, and these ongoing dialogs often sprout contrasting linguistic perspectives, leading to the establishment of an objective view of Japanese as an individual language. A major feature of the department is its aim to clarify the specific characteristics of the Japanese language and Japanese-language communities within a global context.

Professors

ISHII, Masahiko (Ph.D.)

Japanese Linguistics, Mathematical Linguistics; Study on Present –day Japanese Vocabulary

TANOMURA, Tadaharu (MA)

Linguistics; Japanese linguistics

SHIBUYA, Katsumi (Ph.D.)

Sociolinguistics; Language Variation and Historical Change

BURDELSKI, Matthew

Applied Linguistics

MIYAKE, Tomohiro (Ph.D.)

Japanese Linguistics, General Linguistics

TAKAGI, Chie (Ph.D.)

Sociolinguistics Language Change in Contact Situation

Associate Professors

MANO, Miho (MA)