Lecturer in Japanese
Overview
I am a Lecturer in Japanese at the School of Languages and Cultures at UQ.
I work in the area of second language processing, which explores the cognitive mechanisms that underlie second language parsing and learning.
More specifically, I am interested in prediction-driven models in morphosyntactic processing. In language use, we anticipate what we will encounter next even before we receive the actual input. Existing work has shown the ability to predict what comes next is a key to efficiency and robustness in comprehension in native languages. My work examines to what extent such a process is operative in a nonnative language, and various factors that mediates that process.
To address these questions, I use behavioral research methods (e.g., reaction times, eye-tracking, comprehension and production tasks) and corpus-linguistic techniques.
I received my BA in English language and literature from Waseda University, Japan, MA and Ph.D in Second Language Acquisition from Carnegie Mellon University, USA. Prior to joining UQ, I worked at the University of Kansas, USA.
Research Interests
- Psycholinguistics
- Second language acquisition
- Morphosyntactic processing
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University
- Masters (Research), Carnegie Mellon University
- Bachelor of Arts, Waseda University
Publications
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Journal Article: Maternal passives addressed to Japanese-speaking children: a usage-based approach
Mitsugi, Sanako and Fukuda, Haruka (2022). Maternal passives addressed to Japanese-speaking children: a usage-based approach. First Language, 42 (5), 014272372211051-648. doi: 10.1177/01427237221105184
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Journal Article: Polarity adverbs facilitate predictive processing in L2 Japanese
Mitsugi, Sanako (2021). Polarity adverbs facilitate predictive processing in L2 Japanese. Second Language Research, 38 (4), 026765832110008-892. doi: 10.1177/02676583211000837
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Journal Article: Generating predictions based on semantic categories in a second language: a case of numeral classifiers in Japanese
Mitsugi, Sanako (2020). Generating predictions based on semantic categories in a second language: a case of numeral classifiers in Japanese. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 58 (3), 323-349. doi: 10.1515/iral-2017-0118
Grants
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Language learning as a product of syntactic adaptation: Evidence from second-language Japanese
(2020–2025) Queensland Program for Japanese Education
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Cue adaptivity in predictive processing in Japanese
(2020–2021) UQ Early Career Researcher
Available Projects
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The cognitive processes related to adult second language learning and use
There is a range of projects available to work with me on the cognitive processes related to adult second language learning and use. The specific topic will be negotiated with students. Ph.D. students will learn how to conduct applied linguistic experiments, analyze the data, present the results, and write up the results for publication. Students are encouraged to present their work at conferences nationally and internationally and publish it in academic journals.
Publications
Book Chapter
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Characterizing learners’ use of passive through constructions: a corpus-driven approach
Mitsugi, Sanako (2018). Characterizing learners’ use of passive through constructions: a corpus-driven approach. Cognitive linguistics and Japanese pedagogy. (pp. 99-128) edited by Kyoko Masuda. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter. doi: 10.1515/9783110456554-005
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Mitsugi, Sanako (2016). A usage-based approach to relativization: an investigation of advanced-learners’ written production of relative clauses in Japanese. Cognitive-functional approaches to the study of Japanese as a second language. (pp. 113-136) edited by Kaori Kabata and Kiyoko Toratani. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter. doi: 10.1515/9781614515029-008
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Japanese language oral proficiency placement examination
Mitsugi, Sanako (2013). Japanese language oral proficiency placement examination. Practical assessment tools for college Japanese. (pp. 33-38) edited by Kimi Kondo-Brown, James Dean Brown and Waka Tominaga. Honolulu, HI, United States: National Foreign Language Resource Center, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
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Second language processing in Japanese scrambled sentences
Mitsugi, Sanako and MacWhinney, Brian (2010). Second language processing in Japanese scrambled sentences. Research in second language processing and parsing. (pp. 159-176) edited by Bill VanPatten and Jill Jegerski. Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins. doi: 10.1075/lald.53.07mit
Journal Article
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Maternal passives addressed to Japanese-speaking children: a usage-based approach
Mitsugi, Sanako and Fukuda, Haruka (2022). Maternal passives addressed to Japanese-speaking children: a usage-based approach. First Language, 42 (5), 014272372211051-648. doi: 10.1177/01427237221105184
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Polarity adverbs facilitate predictive processing in L2 Japanese
Mitsugi, Sanako (2021). Polarity adverbs facilitate predictive processing in L2 Japanese. Second Language Research, 38 (4), 026765832110008-892. doi: 10.1177/02676583211000837
-
Mitsugi, Sanako (2020). Generating predictions based on semantic categories in a second language: a case of numeral classifiers in Japanese. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 58 (3), 323-349. doi: 10.1515/iral-2017-0118
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Proficiency influences orthographic activations during L2 spoken-word recognition
Mitsugi, Sanako (2018). Proficiency influences orthographic activations during L2 spoken-word recognition. International Journal of Bilingualism, 22 (2), 199-214. doi: 10.1177/1367006916666388
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Incremental comprehension of Japanese passives: evidence from the visual-world paradigm
Mitsugi, Sanako (2017). Incremental comprehension of Japanese passives: evidence from the visual-world paradigm. Applied Psycholinguistics, 38 (4), 953-983. doi: 10.1017/s0142716416000515
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The use of case marking for predictive processing in second language Japanese
Mitsugi, Sanako and Macwhinney, Brian (2016). The use of case marking for predictive processing in second language Japanese. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 19 (1), 19-35. doi: 10.1017/s1366728914000881
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L1–L2 asymmetry in animacy effects in the processing of Japanese relative clause
Mitsugi, Sanako and Shirai, Yasuhiro (2015). L1–L2 asymmetry in animacy effects in the processing of Japanese relative clause. Journal of Japanese Linguistics, 31 (1), 3-30. doi: 10.1515/jjl-2015-0102
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Word knowledge development in a second language
Koda, Keiko and Mitsugi, Sanako (2007). Word knowledge development in a second language. Acquisition of Japanese as a Second Language, 10, 87-113.
Conference Publication
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Syntactic prediction in L2 comprehension: evidence from Japanese adverbials
Mitsugi, Sanako (2017). Syntactic prediction in L2 comprehension: evidence from Japanese adverbials. The 41st Boston University of Child Language Development, Boston, MA, United States, 4-6 November 2016. Somerville, MA, United States: Cascadilla Press.
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Cue-based processing of relative clauses in L2 Japanese
Mitsugi, Sanako, MacWhinney, Brian and Shirai, Yasuhiro (2010). Cue-based processing of relative clauses in L2 Japanese. Second Language Research Forum, Honolulu, HI, United States, 17-19 October 2008. Somerville, MA, United States: Cascadilla Proceeding Project.
Grants (Administered at UQ)
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Language learning as a product of syntactic adaptation: Evidence from second-language Japanese
(2020–2025) Queensland Program for Japanese Education
-
Cue adaptivity in predictive processing in Japanese
(2020–2021) UQ Early Career Researcher
Possible Research Projects
Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.
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The cognitive processes related to adult second language learning and use
There is a range of projects available to work with me on the cognitive processes related to adult second language learning and use. The specific topic will be negotiated with students. Ph.D. students will learn how to conduct applied linguistic experiments, analyze the data, present the results, and write up the results for publication. Students are encouraged to present their work at conferences nationally and internationally and publish it in academic journals.
