Aloha mai, my name is Michelle Kamigaki-Baron. I am from Oʻahu and am the descendent of five generations of coffee pickers from Honaunau on Hawaiʻi island. I am a researcher, primarily interested in adult ambient learning of ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi and the distinctive advantage Pidgin speakers show in developing an ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi proto-lexicon. I additionally expand this work to First Nations languages in Canada, where I examine how adults learn from the language that surrounds them and how community language dynamics shape early lexical development. I am currently a PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia, a sessional lecturer at Simon Fraser University, a member of the Speech in Context Laboratory, and the Primary investigator for the Secwepemctsín Structure and Sound group for the Jacobs Research Funds (JRF).
I am currently on the job market. For any inquiries please feel free to contact me here.
If you speak any of the languages listed here and would like to share your manaʻo or just like talk story, I would love to hear from you.
Teaching
I am a sessional instructor at Simon Fraser University, where I teach Linguistics 330 Phonetics and Linguistics 190 Science of Speech. I have experience teaching learners from preschool through adulthood and in course development. My teaching centers language as a lived, relational practice rather than an abstract system, encouraging students to critically examine how power and colonial histories shape linguistic knowledge and research practices. I design my courses with kuleana, my responsibility as a community member, ensuring students leave with the tools and understanding needed to succeed beyond the classroom.
Learn MoreCommunity-based Language Revitalization
My community work is grounded in pilina and reciprocity. Whether working with communities I am from or communities I am not, in Hawaiʻi and abroad, I collaborate with communities directly throughout all stages of the research, ensuring that research questions, methods, and outcomes are shaped by community needs and return tangible benefits, particularly in support of language revitalization.
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