Mayumi Masuko

Mayumi Masuko is a Professor at the School of International Liberal Studies, International Christian University, specializing in Theoretical Linguistics with a focus on Semantics and Pragmatics. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Cambridge and has maintained an active research profile since the 1990s.

• PhD in Linguistics, University of Cambridge
• MPhil in Linguistics, University of Cambridge
• BA in Liberal Arts (English Linguistics), International Christian University

Her research centers on the syntax-semantics-pragmatics interface, particularly examining lexical meaning extension, valence change, and argument suppression in Japanese and English. She investigates how contextual factors influence grammatical acceptability, with notable work on politeness formalization, connectives, and cross-linguistic comparisons of verb behavior. Her studies often bridge theoretical linguistics with applied concerns in academic writing and language education.

Her publication record from 1995-2006 reveals consistent engagement with lexical semantics and pragmatic interfaces, demonstrating methodological diversity through corpus analysis, theoretical modeling, and cross-linguistic comparison. Key themes include the role of context in meaning determination, the fluidity of verb valence, and the pragmatic constraints on grammatical structures.

• JACET Award (Academic), 1998

Dr. Masuko has led multiple internal research projects including “Pragmatics of Politeness Formalization” (2006) and “Verb Meaning Reclassification in Japanese” (2002), receiving institutional support for her investigations into linguistic theory. Her teaching portfolio includes advanced seminars on pragmatics and semantics, reflecting her research expertise. She maintains affiliations with the Global Education Center and has participated in international collaborations, including a visiting researcher position at Cambridge University (2007-2009).

Her work connects theoretical linguistics with practical applications in language education, particularly through analyses of academic vocabulary and plagiarism in second-language writing. Current research directions appear focused on computational approaches to contextual meaning and the formalization of pragmatic phenomena in Japanese grammar.