Living speech – or the bodily life of language
Language
en
Article de revue
This item was published in
SKASE Journal of Theoretical Linguistics. 2015, vol. 12, n° 3, p. 528-541
University Library of Prešov University
English Abstract
Unlike English, Romance languages routinely refer to “foreign” or “modern” languages as “living” languages: langes vivantes (French), lingue vive (Italian), lenguas vivas (Spanish), llengües vives (Catalan), línguas vivas ...Read more >
Unlike English, Romance languages routinely refer to “foreign” or “modern” languages as “living” languages: langes vivantes (French), lingue vive (Italian), lenguas vivas (Spanish), llengües vives (Catalan), línguas vivas (Portuguese), limbi vii (Romanian). Dutch and German speakers occasionally use similar phrases emphasizing the “living” quality of language: levende talen, lebende Sprachen. The title chosen for the original lecture-performance186 was a pun on the “life” or “vitality” of language187: Langues vivantes en vie (lit. “Living languages are alive / have a life”). The underlying logic was the following: language, whether spoken or written, is rooted in bodily motion. Movement is a sign of life. Language relies on movement. Language is life. The present English version contains video captures from the original French lecture-performance. The script was written and translated by myself. The performance was choreographed by Jean Magnard, assisted by Mélissa Blanc. All the illustrations given during the performance are taken from a corpus of authentic co-speech gestures made by native English speakers during interviews: talk show hosts, writers, film actors, and linguists.Read less <
English Keywords
dance
movement
language
embodiment
gesture
kinesics
Origin
Hal imported