Haruka Fukazawa

Haruka Fukazawa is a Professor at Keio University's Faculty of Business and Commerce (Hiyoshi Campus). Her research focuses on theoretical linguistics within the framework of Optimality Theory, examining phonological systems and language acquisition mechanisms from a cognitive science perspective. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Maryland at College Park (1999) and has taught extensively in Japan and the U.S., including roles at Georgetown University and the University of Maryland.

Education: Aoyama Gakuin University (BA, 1987), West Virginia University (MA in Linguistics, 1993), and University of Maryland (Ph.D., 1999). Her research emphasizes articulatory and auditory constraints in phonological theory, with notable work on Japanese adjective acquisition and paradigm uniformity in Optimality Theory.

Research Themes include investigating how both auditory and articulatory factors shape phonological systems, and the role of indirect negative evidence in language learning. She has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, including contributions to Japanese Linguistics and MIT Phonology Circle presentations. Her teaching includes courses like Comprehensive English Seminar and English Listening Seminar.