Carnegie Mellon University
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Kiyono Fujinaga-Gordon

Kiyono Fujinaga-Gordon

Assistant Teaching Professor of Japanese Studies

  • POS
Address
Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics
4980 Margaret Morrison St
Posner Hall 341
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Education

Ph.D., Linguistics, University at Buffalo
 M.A., Japanese Linguistics, University of Tokyo
B.A., English Linguistics, Translation Studies, Teaching Japanese as a Second Language, Tsuda College

 

Bio

Kiyono Fujinaga-Gordon (she/they) is a researcher, educator and parent, guided by a deep commitment to community and connection. Born and raised in Ōita, Japan, she grew up in a linguistically and culturally homogeneous environment. As a child, she once believed that people with blue eyes might literally see the world tinted blue—a notion that later evolved into a lifelong curiosity about language and perception. This curiosity was sparked further in high school upon encountering the concept of linguistic relativity: the idea that the language one speaks can influence how they perceive the world.

She moved to Tokyo for college, majoring in English linguistics and went on to pursue a master’s degree in linguistics. During her graduate studies, Dr. Fujinaga-Gordon was surprised to discover that, contrary to the common belief that "everyone in Japan speaks Japanese," there are multiple languages spoken in Okinawa Prefecture that are not dialects but distinct, typologically unique languages. This revelation led to work documenting one such language—Miyako.

In 2016, she moved to the United States to study linguistic documentation and typology. However, her focus shifted after engaging with Japanese heritage children in a small community in Buffalo, New York, ultimately resulting in a dissertation on heritage language acquisition. Her experiences as an international student illuminated many of the challenges faced by people in minority groups in the U.S.

At Carnegie Mellon University, Dr. Fujinaga-Gordon advocates for individuals from marginalized backgrounds and provide support for international students, drawing on personal and academic experiences to foster inclusion and belonging.

    • Language Documentation
    • Japanese Linguistics
    • Ryukyuan languages
    • Language justice in healthcare
    • Critical Applied Linguistics

      • 82-273: Introduction to Japanese Language and Culture
      • 82-277: Introduction to Japanese Linguistics
      • 82-472: Topics in Japanese Studies
      • 82-371: Advanced Japanese I
      • 82-372: Advanced Japanese II



    • Faculty Research Grant, The Humanities Center, Carnegie Mellon University, 2025
    • Provost’s Inclusive Teaching Fellowship, Carnegie Mellon University, 2025
    • Immersive Cultural Innovation Fund, The Kenner Room, Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics, Carnegie Mellon University, 2025
    • Research grant, KAKEN: 24K21189, PI Dr. Tatsuhiko Matsushita, 2024
    • Research grant, Japan Foundation, 2023
  • Admission Committee Member, M.A. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition, Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Mentor, Satsuki-kai mentoring program, Almunae Association of the University of Tokyo
  • Field Bibliographer, Modern Language Association

Hasegawa, Yoko., Kiyono Fujinaga-Gordon, Eri Nakagawa, and Jun Kanazawa. (2025). Integration of Machine Translation and Foreign Language Curricula: A proposal. In Translation, Translanguaging and Machine Translation in Foreign Language Education. London: Palgrave Macmillian Cham. 329-350.

Fujinaga-Gordon, Kiyono. (2024). The Development and Acquisition of Japanese Benefactive Constructions: A Role and Reference Grammar Analysis. Leiden: Brill.

Fujinaga-Gordon, Kiyono., Christian Sherwin, Bianca Brown, Botagoz Tusamagambet, Joy Maa, Kimi Wenzel, Brian Bao, Joshua H. Gordon, Scout Hayashi. (2024). Language socialization research on Japanese as a heritage language. Japan Foundation, LA.

Fujinaga-Gordon, Kiyono. (2021). The Pragmatics of Japanese Quotative Constructions: A Comparative Study between Japanese and Japanese Heritage Families. In: Kirner-Ludwig, Monika (ed.), Fresh Perspectives on Major Issues in Pragmatics. New York: Routledge. 101-119.

Fujinaga, Kiyono. (2018). On the diminutive morpheme -gama in Ikema, a Ryukyuan language. Studies in Language, 42(3), 734-753.

Department Member Since 2023