Embodying Words

spiritual learner | beginner-intermediate-advanced | knutselaar

It’s so easy to let language become a cerebral thing.  Let’s reclaim our body when speaking a new language and dare to let those words permeate it and penetrate it deep into our pores. 

At it’s most complex, “Emboyding Words” could be a complex set of choreographies with movments for each word and modifications for verb conjugations, adverbs and adjectives.*

At its most minimal it is a simple attempt to connect words with an action or physical embodiement in order to not forget them.  A dance, which might simply be taking place on your tongue, or in your nose.  A moment of intimacy with a word, which makes it more tangible for the language learner.

HOW:  Try starting with a list of words which you are trying to learn or alternatively a list of words, which you’ve never managed to learn.

Go through the list of words and search for

- actions, which is not too difficult, which you can connect to this word  or

- micro-actions** which make your pronunciation of the word just a little bit more physical, or

- go to a place, which you think might be able to help, and walk around this space as you repeat the word.

* this is a project, which Ahilan dreams of doing one day…

** In order to learn the word for ‘clench’ or ‘clamp’ in Tamil, கவ்வி {kavvi}, Ahilan bites down on his lip with his teeth, clenching his lip, before continuing to pronounce the ‘i’