Yoichi Mukai

Yoichi Mukai

Faculty in the Modern Languages Studies Department

Vancouver Island University

Welcome to my website

I am a linguist (also the director of Linguistic Research Laboratory) interested in a range of data-driven research, with a focus on the empirical study of language through experimentation. My primary research interest lies in the underlying mechanisms of speech communication. Although speech is highly variable, speakers and listeners seem to communicate with ease. It is intriguing to study how the production of speech varies and how listeners cope with such variability. My LinguisTree is here.

“All Things Language: Linguistics of VIU”, the VIU Arts and Humanities Colloquium Series 2024

“Beyond Multilingualism: How Linguists Think and Talk about Language”, the VIU Arts and Humanities Colloquium Series 2021

Interests

  • Phonetics
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Pupillometry
  • Phonology-to-Orthography Consistency
  • Spontaneous Speech
  • L2 Pronunciation and Comprehension
  • Japanese Linguistics

Education

  • Ph.D. in Linguistics, 2020

    University of Alberta

  • M.A. in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies, 2014

    Carleton University

Skills

RStudio

Data Analysis and Visualization

Statistics

Generalized Additive Mixed-effects Model; Linear Mixed-Effects Model; Random Forest

Praat

The scientific analysis of speech in phonetics

Pupillometry

The measurement of pupil dilation over time

Latex

The production of technical and scientific documentation

Language

Japanese; English

Publications

Quickly discover relevant content by filtering publications.

The role of phonology-to-orthography consistency in predicting the degree of pupil dilation induced in processing reduced and unreduced speech

The relationship between the ways in which words are pronounced and spelled has been shown to affect spoken word processing and a …
Yoichi Mukai, Juhani Järvikivi, Benjamin V. Tucker (2023) Applied Psycholinguistics
DOI
The role of phonology-to-orthography consistency in predicting the degree of pupil dilation induced in processing reduced and unreduced speech

Bidirectional cross-linguistic influence with different-script languages: Evidence from eye tracking

This study compared patterns of non-selective cross-language activation in L1 and L2 word recognition with different-script bilinguals. …
Jamie Taylor, Yoichi Mukai. Applied Psycholinguistics
Source Document DOI
Bidirectional cross-linguistic influence with different-script languages: Evidence from eye tracking

Spontaneous Speech

Phonetic research investigates how speakers and listeners use speech to convey messages. The speech produced to encode a particular …
Benjamin V. Tucker, Yoichi Mukai
DOI
Spontaneous Speech

Production and perception of reduced speech and the role of phonological-orthographic consistency

This dissertation examines the effect of orthography in the perception of spontaneous Japanese speech by investigating how phonetic …
Yoichi Mukai
PDF DOI
Production and perception of reduced speech and the role of phonological-orthographic consistency

The effect of phonological-orthographic consistency on the processing of reduced and citation forms of Japanese words: Evidence from pupillometry

Yoichi Mukai, Juhani Järvikivi, Benjamin V. Tucker
PDF
The effect of phonological-orthographic consistency on the processing of reduced and citation forms of Japanese words: Evidence from pupillometry
See all publications

Teaching Experience

 
 
 
 
 

Faculty - Japanese & Linguistics

Modern Languages Studies Department at Vancouver Island University

Aug 2019 – Present Nanaimo, BC, Canada

Japanese & Linguistics:

  • Basic Japanese I & II
  • Intermediate Japanese I & II
  • Introduction to Language and Linguistics
  • Language and Linguistics in Use
  • Introduction to Second Language Acquisition
 
 
 
 
 

Instructor - Phonetics

Department of Linguistics at the University of Alberta

Jul 2019 – Aug 2019 Edmonton, AB, Canada
 
 
 
 
 

Instructor - Phonetics

Department of Linguistics at the University of Alberta

Jul 2018 – Aug 2018 Edmonton, AB, Canada
 
 
 
 
 

Instructor - Conversational Japanese

School of Linguistics and Language Studies & Summer Institute of Language and Culture at Carleton University

May 2014 – Jun 2014 Ottawa, ON, Canada
 
 
 
 
 

Instructor - Elementary Japanese for diplomats

Interlanguages Language School, the Canadian Foreign Service Institute, the Learning Institution of the Global Affairs Canada

May 2014 – Jun 2014 Gatineau, QC, Canada
 
 
 
 
 

Instructor - Introduction to Japanese

Décanat de la formation continue et des partenariats (DFCP) à lˈUniversité du Québec en Outaouais

Sep 2012 – Dec 2012 Gatineau, QC, Canada
 
 
 
 
 

Instructor - Elementary to Advanced Japanese

Ottawa Japanese Language School

Sep 2010 – Dec 2014 Ottawa, ON, Canada

Projects

Manuscripts submitted or in preparation

Pupillometry-based mesurement of L2 fluency

Mukai, Yoichi. (in preparation)

Phonetic variability of stops and nasals in Japanese across a range of speaking styles

Mukai, Y., & Tucker, B. V. (in preparation)

Examining cognitive control in people with aphasia

Wilson.C., Mukai, Y., Figeys, M., Suleman, S., Garcia, R., & Kim, E.S. (in preparation)

Rhythm metrics and the timing pattern of read and spontaneous speech: The case of Japanese, English, and L2 English

Mukai, Y., & Tucker, B. V. (in preparation)

Rhythm and fuency: Durational variability as a perceptual correlate of fuency in L2 speech

Mukai, Y., Wood, D., & Tucker, B. V. (in preparation)

Presentations

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Reduced flaps in English processed by non-native speakers

2019-10-11 12:00 AM Edmonton, Canada
McKae Pawlenchuk, Yoichi Mukai, Benjamin V. Tucker

Investigating the comprehension and perception of reduced speech with pupillary response

2019-05-13 12:00 AM Louisville, Kentucky
Benjamin V Tucker, Vincent Porretta, Yoichi Mukai
PDF
Investigating the comprehension and perception of reduced speech with pupillary response

The effect of phonological-orthographic consistency and phonetic reduction in spoken word recognition

2019-04-13 12:00 AM The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Yoichi Mukai

The time-course of recognition of reduced Japanese words: Evidence from pupillometry with a Go-NoGo task

2018-11-05 12:00 AM Victoria, BC, Canada
Yoichi Mukai, Juhani Järvikivi, Benjamin V Tucker
PDF
The time-course of recognition of reduced Japanese words: Evidence from pupillometry with a Go-NoGo task

Comparing the time courses of lexical processes in L1 and L2 word recognition: A lexical decision eye tracking study with Japanese-English bilinguals

2018-10-19 12:00 AM National Taiwan University, Taiei, Taiwan
Jamie Taylor, Yoichi Mukai, Koji Miwa
See all talks

Research Experience

 
 
 
 
 

Research Assistant for Dr. Esther S. Kim

Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Alberta

Mar 2018 – May 2018 Edmonton, AB, Canada
Preprocessed, analyzed and visualized pupillometric data of person with aphasia
 
 
 
 
 

Research Assistant for Dr. Benjamin V. Tucker

Department of Linguistics at the University of Alberta

Jul 2015 – Aug 2016 Edmonton, AB, Canada
Assisted in developing an interactive online phonetics course and lab activities for the project “Developing Interactive Online Lab Activities and an Online Course for Phonetics”
 
 
 
 
 

Research Assistant for Dr. Benjamin V. Tucker

Department of Linguistics at the University of Alberta

Sep 2014 – Aug 2015 Edmonton, AB, Canada
Designed a pupillometry experiment for the project “Pupillary Responses to the Comprehension of Speech Variability and Spontaneous Speech”,
 
 
 
 
 

Research Assistant for Dr. David Wood

School of Linguistics and Language Studies at Carleton University

May 2014 – Jun 2014 Ottawa, ON, Canada
Transcribed and translated spoken data (Japanese & English), and analyzed it quantitatively and qualitatively for the project “Idiodynamic analysis of speech fluency and willingness to communicate in a second language”

Additional Training

Visiting PhD student

Nagoya University Sep 2017 – Dec 2017

Spring Training in Experimental Psycholinguistics

University of Alberta May 2016 – May 2016

Linguistic Society of America Summer Institute

University of Chicago Jul 2015 – Jul 2015

Spring Training in Experimental Psycholinguistics

University of Alberta May 2015 – May 2015

Teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language Program (TESOL)

Algonquin College Sep 2009 – Apr 2010

Contact