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Kiyono Fujinaga-Gordon is a researcher and educator who is deeply committed to community connection. Born and raised in Ōita, Japan, Kiyono grew up in a linguistically and culturally homogeneous environment. As a child, Kiyono believed that people with blue eyes literally see the world tinted blue, a notion that sparked a lifelong curiosity in language perception. This curiosity evolved during high school when Kiyono encountered the concept of linguistic relativity, which posits that language shapes our perception of the world. Moving to Tokyo for college, Kiyono majored in English linguistics and pursued a master’s degree in linguistics. During graduate studies, Kiyono discovered the linguistic diversity in Japan, particularly in the Okinawa Prefecture, which inspired documentation work on the Miyako language. In 2016, Kiyono moved to the United States to study linguistic documentation and typology, shifting focus to work with Japanese heritage children in a small community in Buffalo, New York. This experience culminated in a dissertation on heritage language acquisition, emphasizing the challenges faced by marginalized groups and advocating for inclusion and belonging at Carnegie Mellon University. Kiyono’s research interests include language documentation, Japanese linguistics, Ryukyuan languages, language justice, and healthcare.
Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA
Teaching courses in Japanese studies and conducting research in linguistic documentation and heritage language acquisition.
Admission is extremely competitive with no strict GPA cut-offs; holistic review is used.