Akiko Imamura

Research interests

My research interest centers around Japanese language use and social interaction both in first and second languages. Using Conversation Analysis, I examine how people use their linguistic resources, embodied resources, and artifacts to understand and produce social actions within the temporal development of interaction. Broadly speaking, I am interested in stance-taking among Japanese speakers. I have worked on projects investigating compliment responses in Japanese everyday conversation and knowledge negotiation during professional handovers. I am also working on a project exploring novice L2 learners’ conduct (e.g., opening up question sequences) in virtual language exchanges. Combining my research and teaching interests, I explore how we can apply research on spoken language to Japanese language pedagogy and curriculum development. My recent papers have been published in Discourse Studies and International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching.

Teaching interests

I have taught Japanese as a foreign language at first through fourth-year levels and introductory courses in Japanese linguistics, sociolinguistics, and applied linguistics. As a language teacher, it is my goal to support students in developing a solid language proficiency that leads them to achieve their own goals and expand their future paths using Japanese. In addition to linguistic proficiency, I place importance on cultivating students’ cultural understanding and critical/multifaceted viewpoints. I believe that helps us to become communicators who transcend linguistic, socio-cultural, and ideological boundaries and barriers.