Linguistics Workshop: Exploring Language through Improvisation

As part of our international theatre project, I had the opportunity to lead a linguistics workshop for our ensemble. With performers from Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, and France, the session was designed to deepen their understanding of language structure, function, and learning challenges—all through interactive exercises that connected language to creativity and improvisation.

Superbrain: How Our Minds Process Language

We began by exploring how our brains handle language. The left hemisphere governs logic, writing, and structured language, while the right hemisphere is responsible for pattern recognition, humor, and artistic expression. Understanding this duality is essential for improvisers, who need to balance linguistic precision with spontaneous, creative expression.

Is One Language More Difficult Than Another?

Participants ranked their mother tongues in terms of difficulty for foreign learners. This sparked a discussion on linguistic complexity, revealing that all languages are equally rich and capable, shaped by the needs of their speakers. We challenged common biases—difficulty isn’t inherent to a language but is often based on our own linguistic background and exposure.

The Many Functions of Language

Language is more than just communication; it serves multiple roles in human interaction. From expressing emotions to recording knowledge, influencing reality (speech acts), and shaping cultural identity, language is deeply embedded in both personal and collective experience. This realization reinforced the importance of multilingual improvisation in theatre—not just as a skill but as a way to connect diverse perspectives.

How Sentences Take Shape

We examined the structure of sentences across languages, comparing word order and grammatical elements through a simple sentence:"The black dog sits excitedly by my bed." Seeing how different languages construct meaning—with variations in word order, verb placement, and adjectives—helped participants appreciate the nuances of multilingual performance.

Memory and Language: A Physical Experiment

To test how we retain unfamiliar languages, we ran a high-energy exercise where participants had to repeat or write down sentences passed along the group. The results were fascinating—some remembered words through similarity to their native language, others focused on rhythm and melody. This highlighted the diverse ways we process and internalize new linguistic structures.

By the end of the session, the ensemble had gained new insights into language as both a system and a performance tool. In a multilingual theatre setting, understanding these concepts enriches improvisation, fosters deeper collaboration, and makes creative expression even more dynamic.