I am an instructor in the department, teaching Japanese language classes and the Okinawan language, culture, and literature courses. I am also involved in an ongoing project to develop a full-scale Okinawan-English dictionary.
Educational Background
PhD in Japanese, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
MA in Japanese, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
BA in Russian, University of California, Berkeley
Research Areas
- Ryukyuan and Japanese language history, diachronic and areal variation, phonology
- Okinawan language documentation and preservation
- Japanese and Okinawan language pedagogy
- Lexicography
Selected Bibliography
Okinawan-English Wordbook, 2006. Mitsugu Sakihara; Stewart Curry, Editor; Leon A. Serafim & Shigehisa Karimata, Supervising Editors; Moriyo Shimabukuro, Editorial Liaison. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press.
The New Nelson’s Kanji-English Dictionary, 1994. John H. Haig. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo: Tuttle. (acknowledged contribution)