Research areas
- First language acquisition
- Child language processing
- Languages of research: English, Japanese
- Methodological approach: Experimental
- Linguistic comprehension tasks (e.g., Truth Value Judgment Task, Picture Selection Task, Demand-fulfillment Task)
- Visual world eye-tracking paradigm
Research interests
- Logico-semantic competence in child language
- Logical word learning (mapping between linguistic forms and logical content)
- Meaning composition (computation of phrasal/sentential meaning)
- Meaning comparison (computation of inferential meaning across phrases/sentences)
- Developmental aspects of sentence processing
- Incremental computation of meaning
- Effects of the interaction among syntax, semantics and prosodic structure
- Interaction between online meaning computation and cognitive development
- Cross-linguistic research on language acquisition and processing of meaning
- Acquisition and processing of language-universal and language-specific aspects of meaning
- Investigation of children’s use of language-specific cues in language processing
Employment
- 8/2009 - present: Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics, University of Kansas, USA
- 7/2006 - 7/2009: Post-doctoral Research Scientist, Laboratory for Language Development, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama, Japan
Education
- 2006: Ph.D. in Linguistics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
- 2001: M.A. in Literature, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
- 1997: B.A. in Literature, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
- 1995: B.A. in Arts and Sciences (Major: Communication), Tokyo Woman's Christian University, Tokyo, Japan
Funding
- 2012: Gabriele, A., R. Fiorentino & U. Minai (Co-PI's). National Science Foundation. GALANA 2012: Psycholinguistic and Neurolinguistic Approaches to Language Development.
- 7/2011-5/2012: Minai, U. New Faculty General Research Fund, KU. Acquisition and Deployment of Semantic Knowledge: Eye-tracking Studies.
- 4/2008-3/2009: Minai, U. Grant-in-aid for Scientific Research for Young Scientists (B), Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology/Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Yooji-gengo ni okeru imi-keesan to ninchi-jikkoo-kinoo [Semantic Computation and Cognitive Function in Child Language].
- 4/2007-3/2008: Jincho, N., A. Hayashi & U. Minai. The Hakuho Foundation Research Grant for Language and Education, Japan. Gankyuu-undou-keisoku ni yoru choukaku-shougai-ji to kenjyou-jidou no yomi-rikai-katei no hikaku [An Eye-tracking Study of Children’s Reading Ability: A Comparison between Typically-developing Children and Children with Auditory Difficulties].
Recent papers
- Minai, U. & N. Takami (submitted) "Semantic and Pragmatic Meaning of the Existential Quantifier Some in Second Language Acquisition."Proceedings of Boston University Conference on Language Development, Volume 36, Cascadilla Press.
- Minai, U., N. Jincho, N. Yamane & R. Mazuka (in press, 2012) "What Hinders Child Semantic Computation: Children’s Universal Quantification and the Development of Cognitive Control." Journal of Child Language.
- Ito, K., N. Jincho, U. Minai, N. Yamane & R. Mazuka (2012) "Intonation Facilitates Contrast Resolution: Evidence from Japanese Adults and 6-year Olds." Journal of Memory and Language 66, 265-284.
- Fiorentino, R., Y. Naito-Billen & U. Minai (under revision) "The Locus of Productivity Effects in Morphological Processing: Evidence from Japanese."
- Minai, U. & R. Fiorentino (2010) "The Role of the Focus Operator Only in Children's Computation of Sentence Meaning." Language Acquisition 17(3), 183-190.
- Minai, U. (2009) "Dai’ichi gengo kakutoku ni okeru gakushuu: huhen-bumpoo-kiban apuroochi to yoohoo-kiban apuroochi [Learning in the First Language Acquisition: UG-based Approach and Usage-based Approach].", Ongaku Kyooiku Kenkyuu Jyaanaru [Journal of Musical Education Study] Volume 31, pp.20-24, Tokyo University of the Fine Arts. (Invited submission)
- Minai, U. (2008) "Probing Logical Aspects of Language Development." In T. Sano, M. Endo, M. Isobe, K. Otaki, K. Sugisaki and T. Suzuki (eds.) An Enterprise in the Cognitive Science of Language: A Festschrift for Yukio Otsu, pp. 613-626. Hituzi Syobo Publishing Company, Tokyo, Japan.
- Crain, S., T. Goro & U. Minai (2007) "Hidden Units in Child Language." In Schalley and Khlentzos (eds.) Mental States Volume 1: Evolution, Function, Nature, John Benjamins Publishers, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Minai, U. (2007) "Logico-semantic Aspects of Children’s Knowledge about the Universal Quantifier: New Empirical Evidence." In A. Belikova, L. Meroni, and M. Umeda (eds.) Proceedings of the 2nd Conference on Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America, pp. 285-296. Cascadilla Proceedings Project, Somerville, MA, USA.
- Minai, U. (2006) "Non-local Dependency in Child Language." In Y. Suzuki, K. Mizuno and K. Takami (eds.) Gengo kagaku-no shinzui-o motomete [In Search of the Essence of Language Science]: Festschrift for Professor Heizo Nakajima on the Occasion of his Sixtieth Birthday, Hituzi Syobo Publishing Company, Tokyo, Japan.
- Minai, U. (2006) "Direct Approach to Inference in Child Language: A Case Study of Every." In A. Belletti, E. Bennati, C. Chesi, E. Di Domenico and I. Ferrari (eds.) Language Acquisition and Development: Proceedings of Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition 2005, pp. 357-366. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK.
- Minai, U., Goro, T. & S. Crain (2006) "Covert Downward Entailment in Child English and Japanese." The Proceedings of the Inaugural Conference on Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition–North America, K.U. Deen, J. Nomura, B. Schulz and B. D. Schwartz (eds.), Honolulu, HI. University of Connecticut Occasional Papers in Linguistics, 4, pp. 205-216.
- Minai, U. & S. Crain (2006) "Semantic Interactions of Quantificational Expressions in Child Language." The Proceedings of the Inaugural Conference on Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition–North America, K.U. Deen, J. Nomura, B. Schulz and B. D. Schwartz (eds.), Honolulu, HI. University of Connecticut Occasional Papers in Linguistics, 4, pp. 217-228.
- Goro, T., U. Minai & S. Crain (2005) "Bringing out the Logic in Child Language." In L. Bateman and C. Ussery (eds.) Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the North East Linguistic Society, Volume 35, pp. 245-256.
- Goro, T., U. Minai & S. Crain (2005) "Two Disjunctions for the Price of ONLY One." In A. Brugos, M. R. Clark-Cotton and S. Ha (eds.) Proceedings of Boston University Conference on Language Development, Volume 29, pp. 228-239. Cascadilla Press.
Recent presentations
- Naito-Billen, Y., U. Minai & R. Fiorentino (2011) "Detection and utilization of prosody in sentence processing: an EEG study of L1 and L2 Japanese." Poster presentation, Neurobiology of Language Conference 2011, Annapolis, MD.
- Hunt III, L., S. Politzer-Ahles, U. Minai & R. Fiorentino
(2011) "N400 is elicited by pragmatic as well as semantic anomalies: a visual-world study of scalar implicatures." Poster presentation, Neurobiology of Language Conference 2011, Annapolis, MD.
- Minai, U. & N. Takami (2011) "Semantic and Pragmatic Meaning of the Existential Quantifier Some in Second Language Acquisition." Oral presentation, BUCLD 36: The Thirty-sixth Boston University Conference on Language Development, Boston, MA.
- Goro, T. & U. Minai (2011) "Conjunction, Disjunction and Negation in Second Language Acquisition: A Study of L2 English and Japanese." Poster presentation, BUCLD 36: The Thirty-sixth Boston University Conference on Language Development, Boston, MA.
- Minai, U., M. Isobe & R. Okabe (2011) "Acquisition and Deployment of the Knowledge of Scrambling in Child Japanese." Oral presentation, GALA 2011: Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition, Thessaloniki, Greece.
- Naito-Billen, Y., R. Fiorentino & U. Minai (2011) "Effects of Prosody in the Processing of Temporarily Ambiguous Japanese Sentences." Oral presentation, Seventh International Conference on Practical Linguistics of Japanese, San Francisco State University, CA.
- Fiorentino, R., Y. Naito-Billen & U. Minai (2010) "Masked Priming and Morphological Productivity: Evidence from Japanese De-Adjectival Nominalization." Poster presentation, AMLAP 2010: Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing, University of York, UK.
- Minai, U. (2010) "The Acquisition and Use of Semantic Knowledge in Children: Studies on Child Universal Quantification." Invited talk, Tokyo University, Tokyo, Japan.
- Ito, K., N. Jincho, U. Minai, N. Yamane & R. Mazuka (2009) "Use of Emphatic Pitch Prominence for Contrast Resolution: An Eye-tracking study with 6-year-old and Adult Japanese Listeners." Oral presentation, BUCLD 34: The Thirty-fourth Boston University Conference on Language Development, Boston, MA.
- Minai, U. (2009) "Dai’ichi gengo kakutoku ni okeru gakushuu: huhen-bumpoo-kiban apuroochi to yoohoo-kiban apuroochi [Learning in the First Language Acquisition: UG-based Approach and Usage-based Approach]." Invited lecture at the Colloquium Series, Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan.
- Minai, U., N. Jincho, N. Yamane & R. Mazuka (2008) "Development of Cognitive Flexibility and Semantic Computation." Poster presentation, CUNY Conference on Human Sentence Processing 2008, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
- Ito, K., N. Jincho, U. Minai, N. Yamane & R. Mazuka (2008) "Use of Emphatic Intonation for Contrast Resolution in Japanese: Adults vs. 6-yr-Olds." Poster presentation, CUNY Conference on Human Sentence Processing 2008, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
- Jincho, N., K. Ito, N. Yamane, U. Minai & R. Mazuka (2008) "Effects of Visual Contrast in Pre-nominal Modifier Phrase Comprehension in Japanese: An Eye Tracking Experiment with Children and Adults." Poster presentation, CUNY Conference on Human Sentence Processing 2008, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
- Goro, T., T. Fujii, U. Minai & M. Koizumi (2007) "The Acquisition of Anti-reconstruction and Grammar Variation in Adult Japanese." Oral presentation, GLOW in Asia IV, Parametric Syntax and Language Acquisition, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China.
- Ito, K., N. Jincho, R. Mazuka, N. Yamane & U. Minai (2007) "Effect of Contrastive Intonation in Discourse Comprehension in Japanese: An Eye Tracking Study with Adults and 6-yr Olds." Poster presentation, 20th Annual CUNY Conference on Human Sentence Processing, University of California, San Diego, USA.
- Minai, U. (2007) "A New Methodological Approach for Probing Logical Aspects of Language Development: Inference, Universal Quantifier and Negation." Poster presentation, Society for Research in Child Development 2007 Biennial Meeting, Boston, USA.
- Minai, U. (2007) "Yooji gengo ni okeru ronri setsuzokushi to focus enzanshi: nichi-eigo hikaku kenkyuu [Logical Connectives and the Focus Operator in Child Language: A Comparative Study with English- and Japanese-acquiring Children]." Lecture at Symposium on Japanese L1 Acquisition and Universal Grammar, The Twenty-fifth Conference of The English Linguistic Society of Japan, Nagoya University, Japan.
- Minai, U. (2006) "Logico-semantic Aspects of Children’s Knowledge about the Universal Quantifier: New Empirical Evidence." Poster presentation, The Second Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
- Minai, U. (2006) "Everything Children Know about Every: An Investigation of Logical Words in Child Language." Invited talk at The First UMD – UFRJ Meeting on Syntax and Neuroscience of Language, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Minai, U. (2006) "Evidence for Children’s Knowledge about the Focus Operator Only." Invited talk at The First UMD – UFRJ Meeting on Syntax and Neuroscience of Language, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Minai, U. (2005) "Direct Approach to Inference in Child Language: A Case Study of Every." Oral presentation, The Eleventh Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition, University of Siena, Italy.
Teaching
- Spring, 2012
LING425/709: Introduction to First Language Acquisition
LING570/EALC570: The Structure of Japanese
- Spring, 2011
LING331/731: Semantics
- Fall, 2010
LING420/720: Research Methods in Linguistics
LING107: Introductory Linguistics, Honors
- Spring, 2010
LING491/910: Seminar - Semantic Interpretation in Child Language
LING700: Introduction to Linguistic Science
- Fall, 2009
LING425/709: Introduction to First Language Acquisition
LING700: Introduction to Linguistic Science