Meet the Author Series with Osamu Ishiyama, Associate Professor of Japanese Language and Culture

Professor Osamu Ishiyama presented findings from his recent book, Diachrony of Personal Pronouns in Japanese: A Functional and Cross-Linguistic Perspective (John Benjamins 2019).

His presentation investigated the historical development of personal pronouns in Japanese from a functional perspective. Professor Ishiyama argued that while nouns frequently give rise to personal pronouns through semanticization of pragmatic inferences, the use of non-nominal forms such as demonstratives and reflexives for person referents generally do not contribute to the emergence of new personal pronouns. The preliminary cross-linguistic investigation into the common conceptual sources of personal pronouns suggests similar results. While his book is clearly designed for a specialist readership, Professor Ishiyama’s extensive use of PowerPoint illustrations ensured that his presentation was accessible to both specialist and non-specialist alike.

Professor Ishiyama is currently engaged in cross-linguistic research based on a sample of about 100 genealogically and geographically diverse languages.

Photo Courtesy of University Archivist and Photographers.