Kyoko Masuda
Professor of Japanese and Linguistics
Member Of:
- School of Modern Languages
- ADVANCE IAC
Office Location: Swann 316
Office Hours: M & W 5:00-6:00, in Swann 316
Related Links:
Email Address: kyoko.masuda@modlangs.gatech.edu
Overview
Pronunciation of Name:
Kyoko "please add "K" to the famous Japanese female name "Yoko" as in Yoko OnoPersonal Pronouns:
sheDr. Kyoko Masuda (Ph.D. the University of Arizona ) joined Georgia Tech in 2004, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Japanese and Linguistics in 2010, and has been pomoted to Professor in 2024. She is a specialist in Japanese Discourse, Second Language Acquisition, Cognitive Linguistics, and Sociocultual Theory, as shwon in her published journal articles in East Asian Pragmatics, Journal of Pragmatics, Modern Language Journal, New Directions in Applied Linguistics of Japanese, Japanese Language and Literature, Sophia Linguistica, Nihongo Kyooiku, Southwest Journal of Linguistics, CLS, Sophia Linguistica, NINJAL Research Papers, and Japanese/Korean Linguistics. Her co-authored journal articles also apper in Language and Sociocultural Theory, Second Language Research, Language Learning, Language Science, Sophia Linguistica, and High Desert Conference in Linguistics.
She served as Linguistics Program Advisor from 2010-2018, and served as Program Director of Japanese from 2020-2025. Her teaching includes Intermediate Japanese, Discourse and Grammar, Applied Japanese Linguistics, Critical Readings in Japanese Arts and Culture, Sociolinguistics through Manga, Introduction to Linguistics, Applications in Linguistics, Foreign Language Teaching. She is interested in creating new courses for Japanese and Linguistics.
She has co-edited Cognitive Linguistics and Sociocultural Theory: Applications to Language Teaching (2015) by Mouton de Gruyter, and edited Cognitive Linguistics and Japanese Pedagogy: A Usage-based Approach to Language Learning and Instruction (2018) by Mouton de Gruyter. She has just published co-authored book entitled "Concept-Based Language Instruction: Usage-Based Linguisics and Sociocultutal Theory in Teaching Japanese" with Amy Ohta and Rie Tsujihara (2025). Her Japanese co-authored book 'Konseputo-beesu no Gengo Kyooiku" will be published from HItsuji in 2026.
Interests
Teaching Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Fields:
- Japanese
- Linguistics
Geographic
Focuses:
Focuses:
- Asia (East)
- United States
Issues:
- Education
- Language Acquisition
Courses
- JAPN-2001: Intermediate Japanese I
- JAPN-2002: Intermediate Japanese II
- JAPN-3001: Advanced Japanese I
- JAPN-3693: Japan Today
- JAPN-3694: Conversation Practicum
- JAPN-3700: Sustain/Societal Changes
- JAPN-4165: Crit Rdgs Jpn Cult/Arts
- JAPN-4500: Intercultural Seminar
- JAPN-4695: Japanese Internship
- JAPN-4699: Undergraduate Research
- JAPN-4750: Japn Discourse & Grammar
- JAPN-4780: Jpn Applied Linguistics
- JAPN-6080: Japn Applied Lings Grad
- JAPN-6500: Intercultural Seminar
- JAPN-8803: Special Topics
- LING-2001: Intro To Language I
- LING-2100: Intro to Linguistics
- LING-3100: Apps of Linguistics
- LING-4699: Undergraduate Research
- LING-8803: Foreign Language Teach
- ML-4505: Foreign Language Teach
- ML-8803: Foreign Language Teaching: Theory and Practice
Publications
Selected Publications
Books
- Concept-based Language Instruction: Usage-based Linguistics and Sociocultural Theory in Teaching Japanese
In: Routlege [Peer Reviewed]
Date: February 2025
Book - Editors
- Cognitive Linguistics and Japanese Pedagogy: A Usage-based Approach to Language Learning and Instruction
Date: 2018
- Cognitive Linguistics and Sociocultural Theory: Applications to Foreign/Second Language Teaching
Date: 2015
Journal Articles
- Integration and compatibility of sociocultural theory and cognitive linguistics for second language lexicogrammar’ instruction
In: The Journal of Applied Linguistics and Applied Literature: Advances and Dynamics [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2024
- Interactional particle use in a Japanese L2 learner corpus: Usage-based analysis and application to teaching Japanese
In: Kokuritsu Kokugo Kenkyūjyo Ronshū (NINJAL Research Papers) [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2024
- Learning Japanese interactional particles through a usage and concept-based instructional approach
In: East Asian Pragmatics 8(1) [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2023
- Discourse functions and pitch patterns of the Japanese interactional particle yo in student-professor conversation
In: Journal of Japanese Linguistics 37, 2. 1-29. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2021
- Teaching subjective construal and related constructions with SCOBAs: Concept learning as a foudation for Japanese language development
In: Sociocultual Theory and Language Learning 8. 1. 35-67 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2021
- Acquiring interactional competence in a study-abroad context: Japanese language learners' use of the interactional particle ne
In: Modern Language Journal 95. 4, 519-540. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2011
- Influence of L1 on the acquisition of Japanese mora timing by native speakers of English and Korean
In: Nihongo Kyooiku 141, 3-13. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2009
All Publications
Books
- Concept-based Language Instruction: Usage-based Linguistics and Sociocultural Theory in Teaching Japanese
In: Routlege [Peer Reviewed]
Date: February 2025
Book - Editors
- Cognitive Linguistics and Japanese Pedagogy: A Usage-based Approach to Language Learning and Instruction
Date: 2018
- Cognitive Linguistics and Sociocultural Theory: Applications to Foreign/Second Language Teaching
Date: 2015
Journal Articles
- Integration and compatibility of sociocultural theory and cognitive linguistics for second language lexicogrammar’ instruction
In: The Journal of Applied Linguistics and Applied Literature: Advances and Dynamics [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2024
- Interactional particle use in a Japanese L2 learner corpus: Usage-based analysis and application to teaching Japanese
In: Kokuritsu Kokugo Kenkyūjyo Ronshū (NINJAL Research Papers) [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2024
- Learning Japanese interactional particles through a usage and concept-based instructional approach
In: East Asian Pragmatics 8(1) [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2023
- Discourse functions and pitch patterns of the Japanese interactional particle yo in student-professor conversation
In: Journal of Japanese Linguistics 37, 2. 1-29. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2021
- Teaching subjective construal and related constructions with SCOBAs: Concept learning as a foudation for Japanese language development
In: Sociocultual Theory and Language Learning 8. 1. 35-67 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2021
- Pair-work dynamics: Stronger students’ engagement in languaging for learning the Japanese polysemous particles ni/de and their learning
In: Sociocultural Theory and Language Learning 5.1 46-71 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2018
- Style-shifting in Student-Professor Conversations
In: Journal of Pragmatics 101, 101-117 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2016
- Applying cognitive linguistics to teaching Japanese polysemous particles
In: Sophia Linguistica 60, 105-122. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2012
- Acquiring interactional competence in a study-abroad context: Japanese language learners' use of the interactional particle ne
In: Modern Language Journal 95. 4, 519-540. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2011
- Morphological congruency and the acquisition of L2 morphemes
In: Language Learning 61, 940-967. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2011
- Acquisition of English /r/ and /l/: A longitudinal study of Japanese learners of English
In: Sophia Linguistica 57, 255-282. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2010
- Influence of L1 on the acquisition of Japanese mora timing by native speakers of English and Korean
In: Nihongo Kyooiku 141, 3-13. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2009
- Learners' use of Japanese interactional particles in student-teacher conversation
In: Japanese Language and Literature 43, 335-362. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2009
- Morphophonological variability and form-function regularity: a usage-based approach to the Japanese modal adverb, yahari/yappari/yappa
In: Language Sciences [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2009
- Development of the ability to lexically encode novel L2 phonemic contrasts
In: Second Language Research 26.1, 5-33. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2008
- The discourse function of the so-called Japanese dative subject construction
In: Southwest Journal of Linguistics 26.2, 39-66. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2007
- Applied cognitive linguistics: The state of the arts and new directions
In: English Linguistics 23.2, 535-554. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2006
- Acquisition of English /r/ and /l/: A longitudinal study of Japanese learners of English
In: Sophia Linguistica 46/47, 127-141. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2000
Chapters
- A uasge-based approach to presenting polysemous particles in JFL instruction
In: Cognitive Linguistics and Japanese Pedagogy: A Usage-based Approach to Language Learning and Instruction. Ed. Kyoko Masuda. 129-164 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2018
- A usage-based approach to L2 acquisition of Japanese lcative particles
In: Cognitive Linguistics and Japanse Pedagogy: A Usage-based Approach to Language Learning and Instruction. Ed. Kyoko Masuda. 63-97 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2018
- Cognitive linguistics and Japanese pedagogy
In: Cognitive Linguistics and Japanse Pedagogy: A Usage-based Approach to Language Learning and Instruction. Ed. Kyoko Masuda, 5-57 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2018
- Future directions for informed language pedagogy from cognitive linguistics and sociocultural theory
In: Cognitive Linguistics and Japanese Pedagogy: A Usage-based Approach to Language Learning and Instruction. Ed. Kyoko Masuda. 305-321. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2018
- Student perception of a combined usage-based and sociocultural-theory approach to learning Japanese polysemous particles
In: Usage-inspired L2 Instruction. Eds. Andrea Tyler, Lourdes Ortega, Mariko Uno and Hae In Park, 117-142. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2018
- Cognitive linguistics, sociocultural theory, and language teaching: Introduction
In: Cognitive Linguistics and Sociocultural Theory: Applications to Foreign/Second Language Teaching. Eds. Kyoko Masuda, Carlee Arnett and Angela Labarca. 1-21 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2015
- Schemata use and languaging quality in learning Japanese polysemous particlels ni and de
In: Cognitive Linguistics and Sociocultural Theory: Applications to Foreign/Second Language Teaching. Eds. Kyoko Masuda, Carlee Arnett and Angela Labraca. 203-232. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2015
- Nihongo gakushuusha no buntai shifuto ni tsuite". [Style-shifting by JSL learners]
In: New Directions in Applied Linguistics 6. Ed. Masahiko Minami. 191-212 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2010
- A usage-based account of the Japanese adverb yahari and yappa(ri) in spoken discourse
In: Japanese/Korean Linguistics 17. Eds. Shoichi Iwasaki, Hajime Hoji, Patricia Clancy, and Sung-Ock Sohn, 439-454 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2009
- Lexical development of Korean learners of Japanese: a case study of Japanese consonant quantity
In: Applying Theory and Research to Learning Japanese as a Foreign Language. Ed. Masahiko Minami. 40-56. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2007
- Eigobogowasha ni yoru sokuon shuutoku no sutorategii: shinrigengogakuteki jikken to onkyoo bunseki o tooshite". [English speakers’ strategies of acquiring Japanese geminates: a view from psycholinguistics and acoustical analysis]
In: New Directions in Applied Linguistics 4. Ed. Masahiko Minami. 259-270. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2005
- Nihongo gakushuusha no bashokaku ni to de no goyoo: taimenhatsuwa choosa, eigo intabyuu, joshianaumetesuto kara wakatta koto". [JSL learner’s error of locative postpositions: preliminary analysis of conversational data, English interviews, and cloze test]
In: New Directions in Applied Linguistics 3, Eds. Masahiko Minami and Makiko Asano. 127-142. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2004
Conferences
- Relearning of Japanese interactional particles through concept-based language instruction during short study abroad
In: Proceedings of the 25th Annual International Conference of the Japanese Society of Language Sciences
Date: 2024
- Sazae-san no josei tōjyōjinbutsu ga mochiiru jendā hyōgen no kōsatsu [An analysis of gender expressions used by female characters in Sazae-san]
In: Proceedings of the 24th Nihongo Gender Gakkai [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2024
- Yakuwarigo o kotoba no kyōiku ni toriireru igi to kanōsei: Nihongo Jyōkyū no kurasu no jissen o tōshite" [The Significance and potential of Incorporating role Language in Language Education: Through practices in advanced Japanese classes]
In: Proceedings of the 25th Annual International Conference of the Japanese Society of Language Sciences
Date: 2024
- Yakuwarigo o toriireta nihongo kyōiku no igi towa [The significance of incorporating role language in Japanese pedagogy]
In: Proceedings of the 24th Nihongo Gender Gakkai [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2024
- Manga ni tsukawareru onomatoope: Manga o tanoshimu tame no onomatope shidoo o kangaeru
In: The 16th Association of Japanese Language Teachers in Europe Pedagogy Symposium, 435-446. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2023
- Jendaa hyoogen o kangaeru: Manga to nichijoo kaiwani arawareta bunmatsu hyoogen no hikaku bunseki o tooshite
In: Proceedings of Princeton Japanese Pedagogy Forum, 100-121 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2022
- Teaching construal: Toward better integration of a usage-based approach to sociocultural theory to teaching difficult items to JSL learners
In: Proceedings of the Twentith Annual Meeting of the Japanese Cognitive Linguistics Association, 17-29. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2021
- Shakai bunka riron to ninchi gengogaku no yuuwa o mezashite: asupekuto mākā teiru no jissen rei. [Toward integration of sociocultural theory and cognitive linguistics: The case study of the aspect marker teiru]
In: Proceedings of Association of Second Language Acquisition Conference, 20-26. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2017
- Iwayuru yokaku shugo jyutsugo no ninchigengogaku teki koosatsu: yoohoo kiban apuroochi kara no bunseki. [A usage-based approach to Japanese ‘dative subject’ predicates]
In: Proceedings of the Eight Annual Meeting of the Japanese Cognitive Linguistics Association, 127-136 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2008
- Japanese postpositions ni and de: Cognitive linguistic approach
In: Chicago Linguistic Society 39, 14-25 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2007
- On German and Japanese dative construction
In: The Proceedings of Fifth Annual Meeting of the High Desert Conference in Linguistics, 43-54. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2004
- The occurrence and non-occurrence of Japanese locative postpositions ni and de in conversation
In: The Proceedings of Third Annual Meeting of the High Desert Conference in Linguistics. 83-92. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2000
- Semantic-discourse account for dative-subject construction in Japanese
In: The Proceedings of Second Annual Meeting of the High Desert Student Conference in Linguistics. 111-122. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 1998
- The pedagogical implication of cognitive linguistics: The case of Japanese locative particles
In: Proceedings of the 5th Princeton Japanese Pedagogy Workshop, 55-63. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 1997
- An analysis of native English-speaking students' errors in Japanese locative ni and de: from the perspective of variation mode
In: Proceedings of Eleventh Sophia Linguistics Conference. 57-75. [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 1996
Other Publications
- Book review: "A cognitive approach to second language acquisition: Grammar development in Japanese and the-effect-of-instruction research "
In: Acquisition Studies of Japanese as Second Language 21. 98-121
Date: 2018
- Book review: ‘Cognitive-functional approaches to the study of Japanese as a second language’
In: Journal of Japanese Linguistics 32. 30-37.
Date: 2016
Updated: Aug 22nd, 2025 at 1:00 PM