Research Themes Map
Interconnected Areas of Linguistic Investigation
🎮 Pokémonastics
Sound symbolism using Pokémon names - corpus analysis, experiments, cross-linguistic studies, educational applications
2016-present • 50+ publications
🔤 Japanese Geminate Devoicing
Long-term investigation of voiced geminate devoicing in Japanese loanwords using corpus studies and experiments
2003-present • ~15 years
🧠 Psycholinguistic Methods
Phonological judgment experiments, rating studies, wug tests - exploring different experimental modes
Ongoing methodology
📊 EMA & Articulation
ElectroMagnetic Articulography studies of Japanese phonetics, jaw movement, metrical structure
Articulatory phonetics
📈 Predictability & Information
How information theory and entropy affect sound patterns - Shannon's entropy in phonetics/phonology
Information-theoretic approach
⏱️ Duration & Timing
Phonetics of geminates, long vowels, emphatic lengthening, durational contrasts in Japanese
Temporal phonetics
🎵 Prosody & Accent
Japanese accent, intonation, phrasal phonetics, articulatory correlates of prosodic structure
Cross-linguistic prosody
🤝 Collaborative Research
African languages, L2 acquisition, child speech, sound symbolism, rap rhymes, maid voice, yoga sounds
Diverse collaborations
Research Area Categories
Signature Research: Pokémonastics & Sound Symbolism
Core Phonology: Japanese phonological patterns
Methodology: Experimental & computational approaches
Phonetics: Articulatory & acoustic studies
Collaborative: Interdisciplinary & cross-linguistic work
Research Integration & Impact
Methodological Innovation
Combining corpus analysis, experiments, computational modeling, and EMA to address phonological questions
Combining corpus analysis, experiments, computational modeling, and EMA to address phonological questions
Educational Outreach
Using Pokémon as a "hook" to make phonetics accessible and engaging for students and the public
Using Pokémon as a "hook" to make phonetics accessible and engaging for students and the public
Cross-linguistic Perspective
Extending Japanese-based findings to understand universal vs. language-specific patterns
Extending Japanese-based findings to understand universal vs. language-specific patterns
Theory-Practice Bridge
Connecting formal phonological theory with empirical phonetic evidence and psycholinguistic reality
Connecting formal phonological theory with empirical phonetic evidence and psycholinguistic reality