Worlding
Worlding SVJETOVANJE Verweltung
The term
"Worlding"
is composed of the English words "world" (German: Welt) and "word" (German: Wort) and refers to the formation of worlds through spoken words (and languages).
The term and the related learning method "Wor (l) ding- method" were developed from language plays and multilingual exercises with kindergarten children and within the dance workshops with articulatory phonetics with dancers,
during my studies stays at the Martha Graham Contemporary Dance School in NYC in 2004-2009.
Starting points for the experience-oriented method are the performative approach of communication of the French philosopher J.F. Lyotard, LWittgenstein's theory of world and language, their form and limits. In the practical part, links were made to the tone, timbre, gesture, deportment and dress. Drawing on work by Merleau-Ponty (1962), when speaking, we are also embodiing meaning through the way we perform the speech, what generates voice and enable perception of spoken words by identifying the vocal tract gestures with which they are pronounced rather than by identifying the sound patterns that speech generates.
(Liberman 1957 Motor Theory of speech).
Exercise sequences are composed of articulatory phonetics syllables with movement sequences from Martha Graham's dance vocabulary such as "deep contraction", spiral breathings", "pitch turn" etc. as well as terms from internal anatomy to guide imaginary processes according to the Erich Franklin method on embodiment and imagery.
The main objective of the Wor (l) ding- method is to raise children's and adults' awareness of the variety of sounds and linguistic variations, the associated reduction of fears and aversions towards unknown languages and people who speak them, with an educational outlook that is reflected in the Situation of the child and their language skills. In a broader sense, it is also about the multilingual experiences and experiences that enable the creative use of languages and forms of expression and provide practical - theoretical impulses for creations of attractive forms of representation for all languages and thus facilitate the trust bridges to various sound varieties.
The playful use of language is a powerful motive for language acquisition, as the active implementation of multilingual children helps to internalize the common language of their educational community (German) in their language identity image by learning that language and all the other languages they speak to be used as active reporting tools, depending on the situation and needs. In this case, the language change (code switching) is used only to strengthen communication competence by "shift" and not for mixing languages.
The Wor (l) ding method consists of the following sequences:
1) Imaging, Space-ing
(Morphophonological word - representations)
In this Act, the pronunciation of the same term is used in several languages. For example: Kiša (German: Regen; english: rain; Italian: pioggia, ...).
In the next step, Space-ing,
various interpretations can be presented in the space - with whole-body movements, isolation movements (a body part moves), poses, drawings.
The word meaning is illustrated by functional, onomatopoetic or other characteristics: "Klac-klac-klac-ka-li-ca" (pronunciation: Klaz-klaz-klaz-ka-li-tza). The word dissected into syllables is pronounced rhythmically several times and accompanied by rocker-like movements (with both arms or with whole-body movements).
2) Doubbling
(Doubling / word integration): A word from another language is integrated into various sayings, songs, poems, or fairy tales in German.
An illustrative example of this is the song that I created for children in elementary age: "Lišće, Lišće, leaves, in autumn in rainy weather, red, yellow, green, all are so beautiful!" (Lišće, English: leaves; SCH tsc-e)
In this doubling example, the foreign word Lišće was incorporated into the German-language song as a sound and soundscape. The play with material forms of language (words, sound) is completed in the union of the words that were brought into the interrelationship by the doubling of the sound and meaning, thus forming a multilingual landscape. At repetitions, the integrated word was spontaneously sung along by all the children without asking their meaning. Such speech act without "warning" by the instructor about the peculiarity of the song by the unknown word, causes the actors to spontaneously adapt to this event and let it happen.
The "concealment" of the other language, which is integrated into a German song or text by means of a word, has a performative approach and a pure intention to relate with symbolic power of action: when singing, a language that is not present is recognized by misunderstanding - its legitimacy becomes achieved by a tolerable proximity.
The phonological unity by doubling (being equal to being different) combines both words ("lišće" and "leaves"). The relations of domination of the languages change as a result of the relationship in a sovereign, neutralizing distance: the 'foreign word' is used first and twice (raised), whereby the extreme values of the word fall out of the language of command. Onomatopoeia experiences are most closely tied to auditory perception. For this reason, the word selection should be situational, with appropriate voice
and material for the respective target audience.
The Wor (l) ding method can be applied to all languages and practiced from 1-100 years old and beyond.
"Wor (l)ding is an excellent way of acquainting people with foreign languages, and especially languages that are not among the prestige languages and are therefore perceived as foreign or even threatening." There is little attention for intercultural communication important aspect, namely the strangeness and menace of some languages, in the communication with people of other origins.At least language is the instrument of communication: no communication without language.The innovative method Wor (l) ding, which is not aimed at learning a language but above all, creating trust bridges through playful encounters with unfamiliar sounds of languages, contributing to more presence and appreciation of various languages, making the foreign language familiar, even attractive, and creating a positive foundation for further communication. "
Dr. Edwin Hoffman, independent researcher and consultant on intercultural communication. External lecturer at the Alpen Adria University Klagenfurt, 2015
IIn 2014, the Wor (l) ding- Method and the discussion format "Talk Session" were awarded and certificated by the Austrian Language Competence Center in Graz (ÖSZ) and included in the innovation network "Spin".
The learning method Wor (l) ding has been practiced since 2006 in seminars and workshops with various target groups.
Interesting to explore? Apply here: t.christelbauer@gmail.com Note: Worlding
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t.christelbauer@gmail.com
