Junko Ito

Junko Ito is a Research Professor and Distinguished Professor Emerita of Linguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her career has focused on phonological theory with an emphasis on prosodic structure, lexical accent, and the syntax-prosody interface, primarily within the framework of Optimality Theory. She has conducted extensive research on Japanese, Ancient Greek, Ainu, Danish, English, and German phonology.

Her recent work includes the NSF-funded project Syntax-Prosody in Optimality Theory (SPOT) and collaborative publications such as Hana-bana (花々), a Festschrift celebrating her and Armin Mester's contributions to phonology. She has held leadership roles as Chair of the Department of Linguistics and directed the UC Education Abroad Program Tokyo Study Center.

Dr. Ito's publications (over 150) explore constraint-based phonological models, prosodic recursion, lexical classes in phonology, and stratal faithfulness. Her 2023 work with Jennifer Bellik et al. examines syntax-prosody alignment, while her 2017 studies redefine tonal licensing in Japanese compounds and Ancient Greek accent.

Scientific Awards:

• NSF Grant No. 1749368 (2018-21)
• Hana-bana Festschrift (2018)
• JSPS Research Fellowship (2006-07)
• Japan Foundation Fellowship (2001-02)
• DAAD Grant (1998)
• Monbusho International Research Grant (1997-2000)
• NSF Grant SBR-9510868 (1995-99)
• NSF Grant BNS-9021357 (1991-92)

Her research has profoundly influenced theoretical phonology, particularly through realignment theory, weak layering, and core-periphery lexicon models. She continues to mentor students and shape global linguistics through her work on prosodic universals.