Sebastian (Sebi) Ohara-Saft

I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. My dissertation is on using experimental methods to assess the vitality of Jejueo, the endangered language spoken on Jeju Island, South Korea. My PhD advisor is William O'Grady.

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Research

I work on experimental methods and their applications for better understanding language endangerment — or its converse, language vitality. This work is informed by research in bilingualism, psycholinguistics, language acquisition, and language contact. I've also done work on the variety of English spoken in Hawaiʻi: "Hawaiʻi English".

Below is a collection of papers, presentations, and projects that I've been a part of.

The Role of Assessment in Language Revitalization

At the 2025 Language Revitalization Synergy Symposium (LRSS), I gave a presentation and led a discussion on the role of assessment in a language revitalization movement. Case studies included ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Māori, Okinawan, and Ainu.

Hawaiʻi English

Hawai‘i English is the variety of English spoken throughout Hawai‘i. It differs both lexically and phonologically from varieties used in North America, but structurally it is similar.

An Investigation of Osaka Jeju Islanders’ Knowledge of Jejueo

This was a presentation on fieldwork I did with elderly Jejueo speakers in Osaka, Japan.

New Speakers of Hawaiian in an English Dominant Society

This presentation discussed the phenomenon of “new speakers” in the Hawaiian language revitalization movement. In particular, it analyzed the speech of Hawaiian-medium high school students performing a theatrical play.

Teaching

I've been fortunate to teach linguistics courses at both University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) and University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UHH). Below is a list of the different courses I've taught, when I taught them, along with a brief description of each one.

LING105: Language Endangerment

This is a class about the global phenomenon of language endangerment. It introduces students to the phenomenon through lectures, readings, and videos. It surveys different case studies of endangered languages around the world and throughout history.

LING102: Introduction to the Study of Language

This class introduces undergraduate students to the scientific study of language. It discusses common misconceptions about language, its development from child to adulthood, and its structure across many different languages.

LING150: Languages in Hawaiʻi & The Pacific

Introduction to the study of language with a focus on Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The course covers key concepts in linguistics like historical linguistics and phonology, while highlighting languages spoken in Hawaiʻi and the broader Pacific.

LING102: Introduction to Linguistics

This class introduces undergraduate students to how linguists think about language. It covers foundational sub-fields in linguistics like phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax.

LING442: Languages in Hawaiʻi

This course explores the current linguistic landscape of Hawaiʻi. It focuses on the history of different immigrant groups arriving to Hawaiʻi, and how that gave rise to Hawaiʻi’s modern-day linguistic makeup.

Design and source code from Jon Barron's website