The L1–L2 tension in performance: towards prosodic explorations to facilitate intent

Abstract

This article tackles the issue of working in theatrical performance across multiple languages. More specifically, it documents and theorizes explorations conducted to attempt to bridge potential interpretation and communication disjunctures that might arise as actors who have a specific first language (L1) work in performance in a second/other language to which they have semantic/literal access but might not have the nuanced, multivalent and embodied access that is required to ‘present text in performance convincingly’ from their L2 situation [An argument can be made that when L1 texts are presented by L2 speakers to other L2 speakers, the problem falls away. For the purposes of this article, the emphasis is placed on presenting the L1 text as it might have been envisaged (noting the problems around such a stance).]. Such a multicultural/multilingual situation is prevalent in the South African tertiary training classroom, where it is usual to find that only a small minority have L1 access to English (for example) – the language of instruction. The article, therefore attempts ways of bridging this L1 (first language)/L2 (performance language) divide in training using the notion of prosody as the bridging strategy. Although our explorations worked with English, it is posited that the L1/L2 divide occurs in many societies, and therefore our conclusions and suggests we extrapolate would be of assistance in those domains, too.