Dr. Yuko Sugita serves as Lecturer for Japanese language at the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of Duisburg-Essen, where she has been teaching since the winter semester of 2014/15. Holding a Dr. phil. from the University of Duisburg-Essen and an MA in General Linguistics from the University of Tokyo, she maintains an active academic presence with courses scheduled through summer semester 2025. Her academic profile encompasses: Japanese language instruction across multiple proficiency levels Research in conversation analysis with specialized focus on prosody and multimodality Documentation and revitalization efforts for endangered Ryukyuan languages Sociolinguistic studies of Okinawan youth communication Dr. Sugita's scholarly work demonstrates a consistent integration of theoretical linguistics with practical language teaching applications. Her research trajectory shows particular expertise in analyzing communication patterns among Okinawan youth and developing strategies for language preservation. She has made significant contributions to understanding how prosodic features function in conversational contexts and how local media can support language revitalization efforts. Her publication record spans diverse venues including the Journal of Pragmatics, Language and Society, and specialized conference proceedings. She has co-edited the volume "Japanese as Foreign Language in the Age of Globalization" (2008) with Patrick Heinrich, reflecting her engagement with global perspectives on Japanese language education. As an educator, Dr. Sugita emphasizes developing students' autonomous thinking and assertive communication skills. Her current teaching responsibilities include Japanese 4 and Intensive Japanese 2/II for summer semester 2025, continuing her long-standing commitment to Japanese language education in the German academic context.








