Following are the lecturers and topics of past seminars of the Distinguished Lecturer Series.

Dr. Alyssa Kermad (California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, U.S.A.)

Second Language Pragma-Prosodic Research and Methodology

Prosody (often interchangeably referred to as “suprasegmentals”) collectively refers to the properties of speech which involve variations in pitch, loudness, tempo, and rhythm (Crystal, 2008).  The physical correlates of prosody allow us to study speech-associated features of temporal fluency, word stress, sentence prominence, and intonation. Prosody is pragmatic in nature (Brazil, 1997; Kermad, 2021; Knowles, 2016; Ladd, 1996; Levis, 2016; Pickering, 2018) and communicates meaning far beyond the surface-level of an utterance.  Pragma-prosodic interpretations crucially depend on the interaction between a speaker and a listener; therefore, the choices a speaker makes and how those choices are perceived by a listener must be considered in tandem, merging prosodic and pragmatic theoretical frameworks.
For second language (L2) speakers, pragma-prosodic production and comprehension do not come intuitively.  While an L2 utterance may be perfectly target-like at the lexico-grammatical level, if the prosodic performance does not meet a listener’s expectations, the utterance may still be perceived as pragmatically inappropriate.  Furthermore, in comprehension, language learners may not be able to detect how prosodic cues alter the meaning of an utterance, especially when the pragmatic force is not transparent with the linguistic form.
This seminar will therefore begin with an introduction to prosody and its pragmatic nature, situating the discussion within a survey of current L2 research by highlighting crucial findings and methodological considerations.  The next portions of the seminar will lead attendees through a presentation of David Brazil’s (1997) prosodic framework alongside a Praat New Tab workshop to provide theoretically-informed hands-on training in conducting prosodic analyses of speech.  The seminar will conclude with discussions and recommendations for research and pedagogy at the intersection of prosody and pragmatics.   The final deliverable associated with this seminar will be to perform independent prosodic analyses of pragmatic speech acts with meaningful interpretations of the quantitative findings.

Dr. Naoko Taguchi (Northern Arizona University, U.S.A.)

Second Language Pragmatics: Theory, Research, and Pedagogy

Pragmatics, an area within linguistics, is concerned with how people use language in a social context and why they use it in particular ways. The aim of this course is to develop awareness of pragmatics phenomena in our everyday communication, as well as to understand opportunities and challenges that second language (L2) learners face when learning pragmatics in L2. The course is divided into three units. The first unit, theory, surveys theories of pragmatics and pragmatic competence drawing on two distinct yet complementary fields, linguistics and second language acquisition (SLA). The second unit, research, examines the application of pragmatics theories to SLA research through critical discussions of recent empirical findings. The third unit, pedagogy, introduces issues related to teaching and assessment of pragmatic competence. We will examine pragmatics-related materials in a textbook and curriculum, major findings from instructional studies, and common assessment methods and their implications. Through critical examinations of the literature in these three areas, the course will help develop an understanding of the role of pragmatics in L2 research and teaching.

Dr. Yuichi Suzuki (Waseda University, Japan)

Practice and Automatization: Bridging ISLA Research and the Classroom

Does practice make perfect? While practice was once dismissed as mechanical drills, the 21st century has witnessed a major reconceptualization of this term. In this seminar, we move beyond mindless “parroting” to a modern and more productive definition of practice as “specific activities engaged in systematically and deliberately” to develop robust knowledge and skills in a second language (DeKeyser, 2007; Suzuki, 2023).

We will explore how this systematic practice leads to automatization. Automatization involves fine-tuning and restructuring of knowledge encompassing lexis, grammar, pronunciation, and pragmatics, which allows learners to progress from effortful processing to fluent communication skills.

The course navigates from theory to pedagogical practice with the following three main research domains:

• Cognitive Foundations: Examining Skill Acquisition Theory and the interface of explicit/implicit knowledge.
• Optimizing Practice: Applying principles from cognitive psychology (e.g., desirable difficulty, practice distribution, transfer-appropriate processing, cognitive individual differences) to maximize learning.
• Teaching Methods: Application: Critically analyzing the role of systematic practice within Presentation-Practice-Production (PPP) and Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) frameworks.

Finally, we address the research-practice gap. We aim to think of the responsibilities of researchers to produce transparent and relevant work that benefits stakeholders such as language teachers, teacher trainers, and policy makers. Through lectures and discussion of empirical studies, we will explore how to bridge the divide between research and pedagogical practice.

Dr. Rob Waring (Notre Dame Seishin University, Japan)

Pages, Ears, Screens: Making Extensive Input Work in Real Classrooms

The first three-hour open session of this seminar begins by mapping out what a well-designed EFL curriculum should cover across ages and proficiency bands. It then examines how common course structures, tasks, and materials pursue these aims but often fall short for learners. We then show how extensive reading (ER), listening (EL) and watching (EW) can close the gap by supplying sustained input, repetition, and recycling that strengthen form–meaning links, consolidate knowledge and develop fluency which provide a vital base for the productive skills. The factors necessary for a successful ER, EL and EW program will be specified, including text and media selection, scaffolding, and follow up tasks. The limits of ER for specialist topics and higher levels are addressed, with practical strategies for integrating targeted instruction so learning remains efficient and goal aligned.

The participants taking the seminar for credit will then survey the current ER and EL research base to establish what is known and where uncertainties remain. They will be asked to suggest research areas they might prioritize and will analyze sample studies to identify frequent design pitfalls, and derive clear principles for sound methodology. Participants then will sketch feasible experimental or classroom-based designs and suggest ways to improve the design of existing research.

The seminar will then turn to the vital area of writing graded materials to determine how they are written from both story structure and editorial factors to determine what comprises graded material suitable for ER, EL and EW. We will then look at the benefits and restrictions that AI offers when writing these materials and how to avoid some of the pitfalls inherent in using this technology.

Dr. Gary Barkhuizen (University of Auckland, New Zealand)

Exploring Experience in Qualitative Research: A Focus on Narrative Inquiry

This seminar introduces participants to narrative inquiry as a powerful form of qualitative research in the field of language teaching and learning. Narrative inquiry is based on the idea that human experience is best understood through the stories people tell about their lives, practices, and identities. In applied linguistics, this approach has gained increasing recognition for its ability to capture the complex, lived realities of teachers and learners across diverse contexts.

The seminar will draw on authentic data from research on teacher identity, teacher education, multilingualism, and study-abroad to showcase how narratives open up understandings of language education from the perspectives of research participants. The seminar will explore and illustrate various qualitative and narrative methods, such as thematic analysis, writing as analysis, short story analysis, and narrative frames, to discover what they have in common, how they are different, and how we can choose what is most appropriate for our research. Graduate students and other researchers of all levels of experience will benefit from attending this seminar by gaining a clear sense of how narrative and qualitative research is designed, conducted, and analyzed – and also reported. Ultimately, this seminar will invite participants to see language teaching and learning as a lived, storied, and shared experience, one that can be studied in deeply meaningful, reflexive, and human ways.