Dr. Ayumi Miura, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Language and Culture
"A lifelong love of the English language fuels a relentless pursuit of knowledge"
In 2020-21, Dr. Ayumi Miura was awarded two prestigious prizes, the 17th Japan Academy Medal and the 17th JSPS Prize, in recognition of her exceptional work supported by excellent philological knowledge and incorporation of accumulated traditional research on the history of the English language and the latest results in linguistics (cf. https://www.jsps.go.jp/jsps-prize/data/ichiran/17th_JSPSprize_reason_jp.pdf). Her PhD research focused on impersonal verbs in Old English and Middle English, and her book, Middle English Verbs of Emotion and Impersonal Constructions, was published in 2014. Dr. Miura has also participated in editing Analysing Older English and Categories, Constructions, and Change in English Syntax, led respectively by Professor David Denison and Dr Nuria Yáñez-Bouza, her PhD supervisors at the University of Manchester from 2008 to 2011.
Current research project
Dr. Miura is now conducting a research project funded by JSPS Grants-in-Aid entitled “Reception of Latin vocabulary and grammar in An Alphabet of Tales.” She argues for the necessity in examining the effect of Latin on Middle English, as she finds an absence of verification in that area based on comprehensive studies. Examining this effect through contact between Latin and English from a social background requires perspectives from different disciplines in addition to that of linguistics, making it a truly interdisciplinary study.
Looking back on a career in linguistics
An interest in English when Dr. Miura was a high school student led her to enter Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, where she became fascinated with a lecture on the history of the English language during her undergraduate studies. Knowledge on English has been accumulated through studying its history, and she too found that studying the history of English was the best way for her to deepen her own knowledge and insights on the English language. She was devoted to her studies of Middle English and completed her PhD at the University of Manchester in the UK, with its thriving department of linguistics and English language and reputation for excellence in research in the field. She has a deep appreciation for her research environment and the opportunities provided to her there, as regular international academic meetings allowed her to meet prominent researchers in Europe with whom she would not otherwise have an opportunity to encounter. Dr. Miura also believes that it is the responsibility of someone who has gained experience abroad to bring that experience back to Japan and pass it along to others. This isn’t necessarily limited to one’s experience abroad, either; it’s crucial to share any experience and knowledge that you’ve acquired both for your sake and for the sake of others.
Future prospects
Dr. Miura says, “I would like to continue to pursue my own interests in the hope that such work would be appreciated by others while keeping in touch with colleagues overseas so as to not limit my field of research to Japan. My strong wish is to keep appearing in international platforms so that my PhD supervisors can see my progress. Though publications are generally only read by individuals who are interested in those specific subjects, I hope to bring valuable insight to many people through my whole research activities.” Finally, she adds, “I would also like to find a research theme to which I can devote myself and eventually reach a stage similar to ‘Habilitation,’ a kind of professorship in the German academic system.”
Text: Saori Obayashi/Edit: Christopher Bubb