Dr

Sanako Mitsugi

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56827

Background

I am a Lecturer in Japanese at the School of Languages and Cultures at UQ.

I work in the area of second language processing, which explores the cognitive mechanisms that underlie second language parsing and learning.

More specifically, I am interested in prediction-driven models in morphosyntactic processing. In language use, we anticipate what we will encounter next even before we receive the actual input. Existing work has shown the ability to predict what comes next is a key to efficiency and robustness in comprehension in native languages. My work examines to what extent such a process is operative in a nonnative language, and various factors that mediates that process.

To address these questions, I use behavioral research methods (e.g., reaction times, eye-tracking, comprehension and production tasks) and corpus-linguistic techniques.

I received my BA in English language and literature from Waseda University, Japan, MA and Ph.D in Second Language Acquisition from Carnegie Mellon University, USA. Prior to joining UQ, I worked at the University of Kansas, USA.

Availability

Dr Sanako Mitsugi is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Arts, Waseda University
  • Masters (Research), Carnegie Mellon University
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University

Research interests

  • Psycholinguistics

  • Second language acquisition

  • Morphosyntactic processing

Search Professor Sanako Mitsugi’s works on UQ eSpace

36 works between 2007 and 2026
All (36) Journal Article (8) Other Outputs (1) Conference Publication (23) Book Chapter (4)

1 - 20 of 36 works

2026

Conference Publication

Toward a standardized measure of proficiency in L2 Japanese research: development of a C-Test [in Japanese]

Mitsugi, Sanako (2026). Toward a standardized measure of proficiency in L2 Japanese research: development of a C-Test [in Japanese]. American Association of Teachers of Japanese Annual Conference, Vancouver, Canada, 12 March 2026.

Toward a standardized measure of proficiency in L2 Japanese research: development of a C-Test [in Japanese]

2026

Conference Publication

Predictive processing in L2 comprehension: evidence from structural priming

Mitsugi, Sanako (2026). Predictive processing in L2 comprehension: evidence from structural priming. International Symposium on Bilingual and L2 Processing in Adults and Children, Reading, United Kingdom, 18–19 June 2026.

Predictive processing in L2 comprehension: evidence from structural priming

2025

Conference Publication

Developing and validating Japanese C-test.

Mitsugi, Sanako (2025). Developing and validating Japanese C-test.. Japanese Studies Association of Australia, Armidale, NSW, Australia, 2–4 October 2025.

Developing and validating Japanese C-test.

2025

Other Outputs

Toward a shared tool for SLA: A C-test for second language Japanese

Mitsugi, Sanako and Fukuda, Haruka (2025). Toward a shared tool for SLA: A C-test for second language Japanese. Brisbane, QLD Australia: University of Queensland.

Toward a shared tool for SLA: A C-test for second language Japanese

2022

Journal Article

Maternal passives addressed to Japanese-speaking children: a usage-based approach

Mitsugi, Sanako and Fukuda, Haruka (2022). Maternal passives addressed to Japanese-speaking children: a usage-based approach. First Language, 42 (5), 014272372211051-648. doi: 10.1177/01427237221105184

Maternal passives addressed to Japanese-speaking children: a usage-based approach

2022

Conference Publication

Usage-based approaches to Japanese passive constructions: a study on maternal input

Mitsugi, Sanako and Haruka, Fukuda (2022). Usage-based approaches to Japanese passive constructions: a study on maternal input. Japanese Society for Language Sciences, Online, 24–25 September 2022.

Usage-based approaches to Japanese passive constructions: a study on maternal input

2021

Journal Article

Polarity adverbs facilitate predictive processing in L2 Japanese

Mitsugi, Sanako (2021). Polarity adverbs facilitate predictive processing in L2 Japanese. Second Language Research, 38 (4), 026765832110008-892. doi: 10.1177/02676583211000837

Polarity adverbs facilitate predictive processing in L2 Japanese

2020

Journal Article

Generating predictions based on semantic categories in a second language: a case of numeral classifiers in Japanese

Mitsugi, Sanako (2020). Generating predictions based on semantic categories in a second language: a case of numeral classifiers in Japanese. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 58 (3), 323-349. doi: 10.1515/iral-2017-0118

Generating predictions based on semantic categories in a second language: a case of numeral classifiers in Japanese

2018

Journal Article

Proficiency influences orthographic activations during L2 spoken-word recognition

Mitsugi, Sanako (2018). Proficiency influences orthographic activations during L2 spoken-word recognition. International Journal of Bilingualism, 22 (2), 199-214. doi: 10.1177/1367006916666388

Proficiency influences orthographic activations during L2 spoken-word recognition

2018

Conference Publication

Syntactic prediction in comprehension: evidence from negative polarity adverbials

Mitsugi, Sanako (2018). Syntactic prediction in comprehension: evidence from negative polarity adverbials. Annual conference of the American Association for Applied Linguistics, Chicago, IL United States, 24-27 March 2018.

Syntactic prediction in comprehension: evidence from negative polarity adverbials

2018

Book Chapter

Characterizing learners’ use of passive through constructions: a corpus-driven approach

Mitsugi, Sanako (2018). Characterizing learners’ use of passive through constructions: a corpus-driven approach. Cognitive linguistics and Japanese pedagogy. (pp. 99-128) edited by Kyoko Masuda. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter. doi: 10.1515/9783110456554-005

Characterizing learners’ use of passive through constructions: a corpus-driven approach

2017

Conference Publication

Using language specific semantic category for L2 predictive processing: a case of numeral classifiers

Mitsugi, Sanako (2017). Using language specific semantic category for L2 predictive processing: a case of numeral classifiers. Second Language Research Forum, Columbus, OH United States, 12-15 October 2017.

Using language specific semantic category for L2 predictive processing: a case of numeral classifiers

2017

Journal Article

Incremental comprehension of Japanese passives: evidence from the visual-world paradigm

Mitsugi, Sanako (2017). Incremental comprehension of Japanese passives: evidence from the visual-world paradigm. Applied Psycholinguistics, 38 (4), 953-983. doi: 10.1017/s0142716416000515

Incremental comprehension of Japanese passives: evidence from the visual-world paradigm

2017

Conference Publication

A quantitative approach to Japanese passives in learner production

Mitsugi, Sanako (2017). A quantitative approach to Japanese passives in learner production. Annual Conference of American Association of Teachers of Japanese, Toronto, ON, Canada, 16 March 2017.

A quantitative approach to Japanese passives in learner production

2017

Conference Publication

Syntactic prediction in L2 comprehension: evidence from Japanese adverbials

Mitsugi, Sanako (2017). Syntactic prediction in L2 comprehension: evidence from Japanese adverbials. The 41st Boston University of Child Language Development, Boston, MA, United States, 4-6 November 2016. Somerville, MA, United States: Cascadilla Press.

Syntactic prediction in L2 comprehension: evidence from Japanese adverbials

2017

Conference Publication

Second language incremental comprehension: evidence from Japanese passives

Mitsugi, Sanako (2017). Second language incremental comprehension: evidence from Japanese passives. The 1st conference on Theoretical East Asian Psycholinguistics, Hong Kong, 10-12 March 2017.

Second language incremental comprehension: evidence from Japanese passives

2016

Book Chapter

A usage-based approach to relativization: an investigation of advanced-learners’ written production of relative clauses in Japanese

Mitsugi, Sanako (2016). A usage-based approach to relativization: an investigation of advanced-learners’ written production of relative clauses in Japanese. Cognitive-functional approaches to the study of Japanese as a second language. (pp. 113-136) edited by Kaori Kabata and Kiyoko Toratani. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter. doi: 10.1515/9781614515029-008

A usage-based approach to relativization: an investigation of advanced-learners’ written production of relative clauses in Japanese

2016

Conference Publication

Characterizing learners’ use of passive through constructions: a corpus driven approach

Mitsugi, Sanako (2016). Characterizing learners’ use of passive through constructions: a corpus driven approach. The 14th conference of the American Association for Corpus Linguistics, Ames, IO USA, 16-18 September 2016.

Characterizing learners’ use of passive through constructions: a corpus driven approach

2016

Conference Publication

Syntactic prediction in L2 comprehension: evidence from Japanese adverbials

Mitsugi, Sanako (2016). Syntactic prediction in L2 comprehension: evidence from Japanese adverbials. Boston University Conference on Language Development, Boston, MA, United States, 4–6 November 2016.

Syntactic prediction in L2 comprehension: evidence from Japanese adverbials

2016

Journal Article

The use of case marking for predictive processing in second language Japanese

Mitsugi, Sanako and Macwhinney, Brian (2016). The use of case marking for predictive processing in second language Japanese. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 19 (1), 19-35. doi: 10.1017/s1366728914000881

The use of case marking for predictive processing in second language Japanese

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2026
    The multilingual mind at work: case transfer across languages
    Queensland Program for Japanese Education
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2025
    Developing and Validating a Japanese C-test
    Queensland Program for Japanese Education
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2025
    Language learning as a product of syntactic adaptation: Evidence from second-language Japanese
    Queensland Program for Japanese Education
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2021
    Cue adaptivity in predictive processing in Japanese
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Sanako Mitsugi is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Available projects

  • The cognitive processes related to adult second language learning and use

    There is a range of projects available to work with me on the cognitive processes related to adult second language learning and use. The specific topic will be negotiated with students. Ph.D. students will learn how to conduct applied linguistic experiments, analyze the data, present the results, and write up the results for publication. Students are encouraged to present their work at conferences nationally and internationally and publish it in academic journals.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Acquisition of English Tense-aspect system by native Arabic speakres of English

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Anna Mikhaylova

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Overlapping talk in Bahasa Indonesian Conversations

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Ilana Mushin

Enquiries

Contact Dr Sanako Mitsugi directly for media enquiries about:

  • bilingualism
  • Japanese language education
  • second language acquisition

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au