Masaaki Kamiya

Dr. Masaaki Kamiya is an Associate Professor of Japanese and Director of the Linguistics Program at Hamilton College. His research focuses on syntax, semantics, and language acquisition, with a particular emphasis on Japanese linguistics and pedagogy. He holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Maryland and has held multiple teaching and administrative roles at Hamilton since 2002.

Dr. Kamiya’s academic credentials include a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, an M.Ed. from East Carolina University, and a B.A. from Dokkyo University. He has also participated in an educational exchange program at Bryn Mawr College.

His research explores topics such as first/second language acquisition, syntactic and semantic structures in Japanese, pragmatics, and the role of prosody in language processing. Notable works include studies on Japanese nominalizations, L2 prosody effects, and gesture’s role in resolving scopal ambiguity.

Dr. Kamiya has received numerous awards, including the Christian A. Johnson Teaching Award (2011) and multiple Emerson Summer Collaboration Grants. His publications span journals like Natural Language & Linguistic Theory and Journal of Japanese Linguistics.

He advises students in linguistics and Japanese studies, coordinates the Japanese Program, and has led initiatives such as the Asia Forum and Phi Sigma Iota honor society. His courses include advanced Japanese language instruction, morphology/syntax, and conversation analysis using Japanese media.