Meet the Author Series with Osamu Ishiyama, Associate Professor of Japanese Language and Culture
![Image of Osamu Ishiyama giving a lecture](https://www.soka.edu/sites/default/files/styles/news__detail/public/images/2019-09/20190220_0A6A2281.jpg?h=a1e1a043&itok=vjBnNcAy)
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.