Rate My Professor J.-R. Hayashishita

J.-R. Hayashishita is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Languages and Cultures at the University of Otago, affiliated with the Japanese programme in the School of Arts, Humanities Division. He earned his MA and PhD in Linguistics from the University of Southern California, completing his doctoral thesis entitled 'Syntactic and Non-Syntactic Scope' in 2004. Hayashishita joined the University of Otago around 2005 as a Lecturer and has since advanced to Senior Lecturer. His academic career centers on the University of Otago, where he contributes to teaching and research in Japanese linguistics.

Hayashishita's research specializations encompass Japanese syntax and semantics, with particular emphasis on quantifier scope phenomena, indirect passives, comparative constructions including izyoo(ni)-, gurai-, and yori-comparatives, quantity expressions, and phonological features in noun compounds, especially in Kansai dialects. He also explores applications to second language acquisition, such as verb structures for Japanese learners. Key publications include 'The Indirect Passive in Japanese is a Mono-clausal Phenomenon' (2023, with Ayumi Ueyama), 'Japanese Language Learners Benefit from Information on Verb Structures' (2025, with Daiki Tanaka, Yuko Miyoshi, Sachi Kondo, Emi Mukai, and Ayumi Ueyama), 'A Linguistically-Informed Way of Introducing Japanese Verbs to Second Language Learners' (2020), 'Reconfirming Izyoo(ni)- and Gurai-Comparatives as Comparisons of Deviation' (2017), 'Yori-Comparatives: A Reply to Beck et al. (2004)' (2009), 'On the Semantic Relation between Nominal and Quantity Expressions in Japanese' (2012), 'Quantity Expressions in Japanese' (2012, Handbook of Quantifiers in Natural Language), 'Sentence Structure and Quantifier Scope in Japanese: A Retrospective and Reanalysis' (2020), and 'Incorporating Phonological Features into Merge: A Case Study of Noun Compounds in Kansai Dialects' (2024). He has authored or co-authored approximately 24 publications, with 116 citations. Hayashishita teaches advanced courses such as JAPA351 The Structure of the Japanese Language (covering phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics), JAPA332 Advanced Japanese 2, and JAPA352 Language Cosplay: Japanese Sociolinguistics. His work advances theoretical understanding of Japanese sentence structures and informs pedagogical approaches.