Yoshiko Matsumoto
Yamato Ichihashi Chair of Japanese History and Civilization and Professor, by courtesy, of Linguistics
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, Linguistics (1989)
M.A., University of California, Berkeley, Linguistics
M.A., School of Literatures and Languages, The University of Tsukuba, General and Applied Linguistics
M.I.A., School of Area Studies, The University of Tsukuba, American Studies
B.A., Japan Women's University, English Language & Literature
Research Area(s) Description
Yoshiko Matsumoto's research investigates systems of language in use, from knowledge of grammar to expressions of identity. She is a recipient of the Humanities & Sciences Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Yoshiko Matsumoto is Yamato Ichihashi Professor in Japanese History and Civilization, Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and, by courtesy, of Linguistics. She also serves as coordinator of the Japanese Language Program. Matsumoto’s research projects and publications investigate systems of language in use, spanning many aspects of linguistic pragmatics, from structural to sociocultural, with cross-linguistic perspectives. A recent edited book, _Noun-Modifying Clause Constructions in Languages of Eurasia: Rethinking Theoretical and Geographical Boundaries_ (2017) reports the findings of a collaborative project on noun-modifying clause constructions in languages of Eurasia, building on her earlier work on Japanese (_Noun-Modifying Constructions in Japanese: A Frame Semantic Approach_), which argued for a theoretical perspective that incorporates cognitive and pragmatic information in grammar. Another recent edited volume, _Faces of Aging: The Lived Experiences of the Elderly in Japan_ (2011) illuminates the human side of aging issues and is one of her publications on the intersection of language, age and gender. Focusing on narratives of difficult experiences by older women, her study illustrates the agency of the narrators, the interactions among narrative participants and the effects of reframing stories from the quotidian perspective. Awards she has received include the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, a Richard E. Guggenhime Faculty Scholar Award, Research Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Japan Foundation, the Clayman Institute for Gender Research and the Stanford Humanities Center.