On harmony between embodied contexts and utterances

Analysis on improvisational L2 performance

Abstract

This study aims to include the perspective of “bodies embedded in the context” into the discussion surrounding “form-meaning-use” dynamics and thereby expand the scope of “meaning” in L2 education research. It analyzes the interactions of performers using conversation analysis, especially multimodal analysis. Specifically, it focuses on the harmony or incongruity between their verbal and bodily expressions in an improvisational L2 speaking activity, in which body movement is an instrumental part of the task setting. L2 speaking in real-life interaction is a holistic activity involving bodily sensations and images, which cannot be fully represented by abstract linguistic symbols alone. The results show that the inauthenticity of words that do not harmonize with the body and context can be instantly detected by participants themselves. In contrast, when embodied words and the fictional space where they are embedded are simultaneously created, the performance becomes uplifting for both the performers and the audience, and a sense of play rather than training is shared. Based on the findings, this study argues for more comprehensive utilization of bodily sensations and imagination, which are abundant resources that every learner possesses.