Master’s (Doctoral) Program in Linguistics


Linguistic sciences, which have been experiencing rapid progress in recent years, are expanding the range of phenomena that can be analyzed and explained, with the potential for further internal breakthroughs. In the Department of Linguistics, students are guided by the belief that the study of the language (English, German, French, Hispanic, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese) they are specializing in is inseparable from the study of general linguistic theory.
At the same time, the department has been enhancing applied language research related to general language theory, such as language education and research on speech-language pathology. Another feature of our program is that we have created an environment that provides intellectual stimulation for developing research by inviting prominent scholars from various fields and accepting outstanding students from Japan and abroad. The fruit of these efforts is that, many of our graduates are active in a wide range of educational institutions.
Curriculum
In the Master’s Program, students learn the foundational concepts and methods of linguistics based on their knowledge of their major language, write a master’s thesis on a specific area, and acquire research and thesis-writing skills. The primary objective of the Doctoral Program is to prepare a doctoral dissertation in three years. Entrance examinations comprise submitting a research plan and an interview, and selection is based on the suitability and feasibility of the plan’s content.
Granted Degree
- Master’s Program: MASTER OF ARTS IN LINGUISTICS
- Doctoral Program: DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN LINGUISTICS
Available Teaching Licenses and Subjects
- Junior High School Specialized Teacher (English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, and Portuguese)
- High School Specialized Teacher (English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, and Portuguese)
*1 A teacher’s license is only available in the Master’s Program. Also, it is only available in subjects in which a Type 1 license has been obtained or the requirements for Type 1 have been fulfilled. Not all subjects are available.
*2 Except for the Speech-Language and Hearing Research Course and the Japanese Language Education Course. In addition, students can obtain a license only for subjects related to their major language.
Program Features
Various Courses are Offered
The program offers a wide variety of courses, including the required courses “Foundations of Phonetics& Phonology” and “Foundations of Syntax,” as well as courses in applied linguistics and sociolinguistics. We nurture researchers with a wide range of backgrounds.
Take Courses Outside of Your Area of Specialization
In the Doctoral Program, students can take courses outside of their major field of study in order to deepen their knowledge of their major language and the system underlying their field of specialization, while at the same time developing observational and analytical skills that are not limited to a particular area of study.
3 courses
Speech-Language and Hearing Research Course
The Speech-Language and Hearing Research Course aims to train leaders and researchers with a broad perspective and rich sense of humanity through subjects ranging from basic theory to clinical practice (therapeutic education and rehabilitation) on communication disorders. By completing designated courses, students can obtain qualifications to sit for the national examination for Speech Language-Hearing-Therapists.
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Course
This course is designed for current English teachers and those who wish to be involved in English education in the future, with the goal of developing more advanced practical skills based on theoretical knowledge of English teaching. All required credits can be earned in English.
Japanese Language Education Course
This course is designed for those who are interested in working in Japanese language education. Students will consider effective ways to teach Japanese language while conducting research on Japanese language acquisition. Students may also take subjects from other courses within the Graduate School. In addition, students can learn through practice as teaching assistants for Japanese language education on campus or as Japanese language instructors for international students. There are also opportunities to interact with students in Japanese language programs at overseas universities.
Selected Thesis Topics
Master’s Thesis
- Flashcard Format Strategies for Vocabulary Retention: Effects on Stuents’ Learning of Nouns and Verbs
- Comparing the Efficacy of Different Feedback Timings in a Focus-on-Form Lesson
- On the Status of Clause-Initial for in English Infinitival Clauses
- Native-speakerism and Authenticity: An Analysis of Japanese Approved Textbooks Aimed at Junior High School Students
- Investigating the Effect of Teacher and Student Trans-languaging on the Participation of Japanese EFL Learners: Exploratory Action-research by CLIL in Japan
- Using Shadowing with a Communicative Task: An Exploratory Study
- Raising Young Learners’ Metacognitive Awareness: Its Effects on Language Proficiency and Attitude Towards Learning English
- The Influence of Adapted and Unadapted Versions of Listening Materials on the Learner’s comprehension – the Case of Myanmar Students Learning English as a Foreign Language in Higher Education
- Examination of Authorized Junior High School Textbooks in Japan in Light of Second-Language Acquisition Research
- Effects of One-on-one Online English Lessons on L2 Motivation in a Japanese Secondary School Context
- Effective of Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition through YouTube Stories – The Case of Myanmar Primary School Students Learning English as a Foreign Language
- A Study of Chunking in Kanji Writing – Comparison among Kanji and figures –
- A New Perspective on Articulatory Development – From the Perspective of the Mora Establishment Process
- Current Status of Communication Using the Internet for People with Aphasia and its Support
- Topic Development in Conversations with People with Dementia
- Tone Tendencies in Conversation – A Comparison of Stutterers and Non-Stutterers
- On the Dissimilarity of Onomatopoeia for Pain in Different Body Parts
- How Chinese Learners of Japanese Understand the Meaning of “Yohodo” and “Yoppodo” – Based on Corpus Analysis and Questionnaire Survey
- A Study on Chinese JSL Learners’ Expressions of “Expressions of Dissatisfaction
- A Study of Gratitude Expression among Chinese Students in Japan: Focusing on the Use of Gratitude Strategies and Their Acceptance by Native Speakers.
- Factors Affecting Language Fluency Tasks in Aphasics – Differences in Noun and Verb Presentation, Psycholinguistic Factors
- The Bidirectionality of Pragmatic Transition in Chinese Learners of Japanese – Reinviting Behavior
- The Reason for Motivation and Classroom Environment in the Formation of Motivation to Communicate in Japanese – A Study by Students Majoring in Japanese at a University in China
- An Interview-based Study on Cochlear Implantation in Persons with Unilateral Hearing Loss – Focusing on the Process Leading to Cochlear Implantation and the Effectiveness of Cochlear Implantation
Doctor’s Thesis
- Functional Parametrization Hypothesis in the Minimalist Program
- Measuring Plagiarism Knowledge: Development and Validation of an In-class Assessment Tool for Japanese L2 Academic Writers
- The Effect of Explicit/Implicit Instruction on the Acquisition of Japanese Compound Verbs – Acquisition Process from a Usage-Based Approach
Educational Policies
-
Master’s Program
With an aim to foster human resources who endeavor to achieve Sophia’s purpose of establishment and mission by exploring language, the most fundamental human ability, the Master’s Program in Linguistics sets standards for the skills and knowledge students should acquire before graduation as described below:
Those who fulfill the graduation requirements and pass their thesis defense shall be deemed to have acquired these qualities and will be awarded a diploma.
- An understanding of the current status of linguistics studies and methodologies acquired by taking required courses in various fields from the first year to establish one’s field of expertise
- The ability to appropriately turn unresolved issues into research questions
- The ability to conduct the collection and analysis of data most appropriate for problem-solving and to find a meaningful solution
- The ability to acquire the fundamental theories and methodologies of linguistics from a wide perspective, to learn how to think academically and to pursue a particular field of expertise
- The ability to give meaning to outcomes and contribute to society by harnessing one’s expertise
Doctoral Program
With an aim to foster human resources who endeavor to achieve Sophia’s purpose of establishment and mission by deeply and broadly exploring language, the most fundamental human ability, the Doctoral Program in Linguistics sets standards for the skills and knowledge students should acquire before graduation as described below: Those who fulfill the graduation requirements and pass their dissertation defense shall be deemed to have acquired these qualities and will be awarded a diploma.
- The ability to conduct original research and compile an academic paper based on the methodologies and knowledge of ones field of expertise acquired in the Master’s program
- The academic ability to independently perform sophisticated research
- The ability to complete an academic paper of a globally competitive level as an independent researcher who is well-learned in highly specialized theories and methodologies of linguistics and associated sciences
-
Master’s Program
In accordance with the diploma policy, with an aim to make an in-depth academic observation of language and linguistics, the Master’s Program in Linguistics constructs its curriculum with courses aligned to the following purposes:
- Have students acquire basic knowledge of language and linguistics regardless of their expertise. Therefore, the following courses are designated Compulsory Courses under the respective programs and should be taken during the first year: 1) Linguistics in General: Basic Phonetics and Phonology, Basic Syntactic Theory; 2) Speech-Language Pathology: Topics in Speech and Language Disorders, Research Methods for Speech and Language Disorders B (Experiment Planning Methodologies), Research Methods for Speech and Language Disorders D (Literature Reading); 3) English Teaching Methods: Introduction to TEFL in Japan Second Language Acquisition Introduction to Linguistics; 4) Japanese Education: Japanese Grammar Teaching I, Second Language Acquisition. Language/Culture/Society, Introduction to Japanese Teaching Methods.
- Offer courses related to Phonetics, Phonology, Syntax, Semantics, Writing Styles and History of seven languages, English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese and Japanese.
- Have students take the abovementioned Compulsory and Elective Courses to acquire the skills required to pursue specialized themes in each division, including theoretical knowledge, the ability to apply theory, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, the ability to collect, analyze and interpret appropriate data and the ability to generalize individual data to construct theory.
Doctoral Program
In accordance with the diploma policy, with an aim to make an in-depth academic observation of language and linguistics, the Master’s Program in Linguistics constructs its curriculum with courses aligned to the following purposes:
- Have students select a specific theme from Theoretical Linguistics, including Phonetics and Phonology, Speech and Language Disorder Studies, and Applied Linguistics and have them receive research guidance in personal meetings with a specific professor.
- Have students engage in unique research by not only further pursuing their respective specialized research but also incorporating knowledge of associated fields, thus enhancing their expert knowledge in liberal arts and academic expertise.
- Require students to take and pass certification exams during their second year and publish 2 academic papers in peer-reviewed academic journals.
- Have students receive research guidance mainly from their research advisor and have them take courses offered by the Doctoral Program in Linguistics and required by the research advisor.
-
Master’s Program
The Master’s Program in Linguistics seeks students with the following qualities:
- Students with academic interest in one of the following fields of linguistics: Theoretical Linguistics, Individual Linguistics (English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese), Applied Linguistics, Speech-Language-Hearing Disorders, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and Japanese education. Students who wish to enroll in the Program in Speech-Language-Hearing-Disorders can aim to acquire qualification to take the national exam for Speech-Language-Hearing Therapists
- Students who possess the will to further develop academic and cultural knowledge of their disciplinary specialties, as well as the will to produce unique research outcomesand return findings to society
- Students who major in Theoretical Linguistics, Individual Linguistics, Applied Linguistics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) are required to compile their thesis in a foreign language (international students majoring in Japanese Education are required to write their thesis in Japanese, which is foreign to them); and therefore, students who possess foreign language skills that are adequate for the completion of their thesis
博士後期課程
The Doctoral Program in Linguistics seeks students with the following qualities:
- Students with a clear vision of the research theme for their dissertation based on their research during the Master’s program
- Students who will take their research further in their disciplinary specialties, incorporate findings in associated fields and enhance their cultural and academic knowledge to perform unique research
- Students who will present their research at academic meetings and submit articles to academic journals, have acquired the ability to autonomously pursue their research and aim to acquire a degree while they are enrolled
Faculty Members
General Linguistics, Theoretical Linguistics
Shinichi AKIYAMA Professor
Related Articles |
---|
Atsushi ICHINOSE Professor
Related Articles |
---|
Mafuyu KITAHARA Professor
Herve COUCHOT Professor
Ryosuke TAKAHASHI Professor
Simon TUCHAIS Professor
Kimiyo NISHIMURA Professor
Naoki FUKUI Professor
Shinichi MURATA Professor
Nobuyoshi ADEGAWA Associate Professor
Takaomi KATO Associate Professor
Related Articles |
---|
Applied Linguistics, English Teaching Methodology, Japanese Language Education
Shinichi IZUMI Professor
Related Articles |
---|
Kaoru KOYANAGI Professor
Mitsuyo SAKAMOTO Professor
Takafumi SHIMIZU Professor
Sanae HARADA Professor
Lisa FAIRBROTHER Professor
Research Areas | [ Language Management Theory,intercultural interaction,sociolinguistics,discourse analysis,conversation analysis,power,race,English as a lingua franca ] Current research focuses on multilingual workplaces,language policy and study abroad issues. |
---|---|
Related Articles |
Fuyuki MINE Professor
Angela LIPSKY Professor
Yoshinori WATANABE Professor
Aingeru AROZ Associate Professor
Related Articles |
---|
Lucila Etsuko GIBO Associate Professor
Gota SAYAMA Associate Professor
Antonio DONAS Associate Professor
Research Areas | [ History of the Spanish language,Latin language and literature,Medieval and early modern literature,History of thought ] My current research focuses on the philological study of medieval and early modern literary and religious documents. |
---|---|
Related Articles |
Itsuki NAGASAWA Associate Professor
Gavin FURUKAWA Associate Professor
Research Areas | [ Global Englishes,sociolinguistics language ideologies,mediatized discourse,gender,contact languages ] Current research focuses on gender,sexuality,and discourse in personal history narratives and social media. |
---|
Robert MACINTYRE Associate Professor
Research Areas | [ Metadiscourse,writing pedagogy,the use of corpora in education,reflective practice in teacher training ] Current research focuses on the efficacy of teaching metadiscourse in academic writing. |
---|---|
Related Articles |
Speech and Hearing Disorders
Hiroyo YOSHIHATA Professor
Keiko HARA Associate Professor