PAPER ABSTRACT
Both Gareth Llŷr Evans and Esther Pilkington are currently undertaking PhD research projects in Performance Studies at Aberystwyth University. Both thus work in a field that seems dominated by Anglo-American discourses, if not by the English language itself. Both speak English to each other. For both of them, English is not their mother tongue. For Would you like to learn my language? Gareth and Esther set out to teach each other Welsh and German, their respective mother tongues. Their endeavour will follow Welsh / German for Beginners guides, two identically structured language books published by Usborne. The learning progress will be demonstrated in a scripted conversation, reflecting the dramaturgy of the guides, and will feature language exercises and personal memories besides a theoretical exploration of the questions raised. The format of the conversation underlines the relationality of any vocal utterance that, as Adriana Cavarero suggests, always requires of a listener. The public presentation of this
conversation then invites further listeners into this encounter. Operating in a foreign language context always already entails questions of mis-performance, often involving a fear of deficiency or failure. Would you like to learn my language? explores the performativity of teaching and learning, both in the presentation and the process leading up to it. What is the role of mistakes in this process and what happens when these mistakes are subsequently re-enacted?
- Language and Miscommunication 1
- Murmurs, Mispronunciations, and Malentendus:the Medium of Language in Recent Choreography by Mantero, Hay and Forsythe
- Would You Like To Learn My Language? – A Dialogical Presentation in Three Languages
conversation then invites further listeners into this encounter. Operating in a foreign language context always already entails questions of mis-performance, often involving a fear of deficiency or failure. Would you like to learn my language? explores the performativity of teaching and learning, both in the presentation and the process leading up to it. What is the role of mistakes in this process and what happens when these mistakes are subsequently re-enacted?
- Language and Miscommunication 1
- Murmurs, Mispronunciations, and Malentendus:the Medium of Language in Recent Choreography by Mantero, Hay and Forsythe
- Would You Like To Learn My Language? – A Dialogical Presentation in Three Languages