Chikako Takahashi

Lecturer in Japanese

Office: 520 Kent Hall
Office Hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 – 5:00 PM

Phone: (212) 854-5502
Email: ct2423@columbia.edu

Educational Background

PhD: Linguistics, Stony Brook University
MA: TESOL, Teachers College, Columbia University

Classes Taught

JPNS 1002 Introductory Japanese B
JPNS 1101 First Year Japanese I
JPNS1102 First Year Japanese II
JPNS2201 Second Year Japanese I
JPNS2202 Second Year Japanese II

Research Interests

Second Language Phonetics Learning
Use of Discord for Language Classrooms
Language Learning Strategies and Motivation

Chikako Takahashi holds a PhD in Linguistics from Stony Brook University. Her dissertation research focused on how speakers’ pronunciation and perception of their first and second (or third) languages are influenced by their language learning experiences. Currently, her research focuses on how the use of online community platforms such as Discord can help create a learner community for language classes. She is also interested in how instructors can inform learners and provide opportunities to foster language learning strategies and elicit lasting motivation. Prior to coming to Columbia, she taught Japanese courses at the Japan Society as well as linguistic courses—such as Phonetics and Phonology, Sociolinguistics, and Second Language Acquisition—at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at various institutions.

Publications

Journal Publications (Peer-reviewed) 

Takahashi, C. (2024). L1 Japanese Perceptual Drift in Late Learners of L2 English. Languages 9: 0.

Takahashi, C. (2023). L1 vowel perceptual boundary shift as a result of L2 vowel learning. Journal of Phonetics, 100.

Hwang, J., Takahashi, C., Baek, H. Baek, Yeung, A. HL., and E. Broselow (2022). Do L1 tone language speakers enjoy a perceptual advantage in processing English contrastive prosody?   Bilingualism: Language and Cognition.

Takahashi, C. (2019). No transposition in Harmonic Serialism, Phonology, 36, 4.

Takahashi, C. (2012). Impact of Dictionary Use Skills Instructions on Second Language Writing, Working Papers in TESOL and Applied Linguistics, Teachers College, Columbia University, 12 (2).

Proceedings Papers

Takahashi, C. and Yagi, M. (2025). Fostering a learner community with collaboration apps and AI tools outside of the classroom: the case with Discord. Proceedings of The 31st Princeton Japanese Pedagogy Forum, 100-112, Department of East Asian Studies, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.

Yeung, A., Baek, H., Takahashi, C., Buttner, S., Hwang, J., and E. Broselow (2020). Too little, too late: A longitudinal study of English corrective focus by Mandarin speakers. Proceedings of the Linguistic Society of America, 5(1). 270-281.

Yeung, A., Baek, H., Takahashi, C., Duncan, J., Benedett, S., Hwang, J., and E. Broselow, (2019). Pitch range, intensity, and vocal fry in non-native and native English focus intonation. Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, 36, Acoustic Society of Americ

Takahashi, C. (2018). No Metathesis in Harmonic Serialism. In Gallagher, G., Gouskova, M., and S. Yin, (eds.), Supplemental proceedings of the 2017 Annual Meeting on Phonology. Washington, DC: Linguistic Society of America. http://dx.doi.org/10.3765/amp.v5i0.4232.

Takahashi, C., Kao, S., Baek, H., Yeung, A. HL., Hwang, J., and E. Broselow, (2018). Native and non- native speaker processing and production of contrastive focus prosody. Proceedings of the Linguistic Society of America (Vol. 3)

Takahashi, C. (2017). Information Structure of Japanese Ditransitives. In Funakoshi, K., S. Kawahara, and C. Tancredi, (eds.), Japanese/Korean Linguistics, 24, Stanford; CSLI Publications

Kao, S., Hwang, J., Baek, H., Takahashi, C., and E. Broselow, (2016). International teaching assistants’ production of focus intonation. Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, 26, Acoustic Society of America

Recent Presentations

Chikako Takahashi and Mihoko Yagi, Fostering a learner community with collaboration apps and AI tools outside of the classroom: the case with Discord, 31st Princeton Japanese Pedagogy Forum, 2025, Princeton NJ. 

Chikako Takahashi and Mihoko Yagi, Building Inclusive and Engaging Learning Communities through Technology: The Case of Discord in Beginner Japanese Courses, Northeast Association for Language Learning Technology, 2025, Zoom Conference.

Kyoko Matsui Loetscher, Naoko Sourial, and Chikako Takahashi, Curriculum Reform to
Foster Multiliteracies, International Conference on Japanese Language Education – North
America, August 1-3, 2024, Wisconsin, Madison.

Kyoko Matsui Loetscher, Naoko Sourial, and Chikako Takahashi, Report on Blended-learning Model in Elementary Japanese Courses – toward fostering learning agency, AATJ Spring Conference, March 16, 2023, Boston.

Chikako Takahashi, Effect of second language learning factors on first language phonetic change. American Association for Applied Linguistics 2022 Conference, March 19-22, 2022 (Poster Presentation)

Chikako Takahashi, L1 vowel perceptual drift as a result of L2 vowel learning: L1 Japanese -L2 English bilinguals’ perception of high front vowels. The 96th Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America, Jan. 6-9, 2022, Washington, DC.