Sara\'s language project for a h.s. course she\'s taking.. they were asked to invent a language, and the teaching objective seemed to be to cause the student to discover the complexities & complications of language itself. One thing I loved about the outcome of her project was how it proposes the notion that body movements could one day evolve into a readable, multi-layered text. An interesting concept/proposition.

1. Language Project Changing Language: A Historical Look at English “ Tanz-lang” By Sara Murawski sm11815

2. Introduction to Tanz-lang

3. SENTENCES: indicating type In Tanz-lang, since language influences culture, the language places value on expression of the collective as much as of the individual. Sentence types are many, more complex, & more interesting than in English. There are the 6 basic sentence types, but there are also subcategories, which merge the 2 dominant types with the typical English types of Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative, & Exclamatory. The sub-types to A & B include: corps collective, corps & solo/principle collective, pas de deux, and duo, trio, etc. Also, rather than articles being gender-oriented, sentences can be masculine sentences, feminine sentences, or neuter, often defined by dress, not biological gender, of the person(s) communicating. 1, 2, 3, & 4 are indicated by facial expression. #1 = Declarative #2 = Imperative #3 = Interrogative #4 = Exclamatory B.= Collective A.= Individual

5. Verb Tense Continued . . . PAST= facing away / PRESENT= facing listener / FUTURE = facing left or right Past: P ast tense is indicated directly along with the verb. Present: present tense is indicated directly along with the verb. Future: future tense is indicated directly along with the verb. Like in English, some of the trickier aspects of verb tenses are included in Tanz-lang too (present- past- & future-perfect,; continuous and mixed verbs, for some examples). Perfect tense & continuous tenses are dealt with by back-to-back pairings of other facing directions with the above indicators, such as following these immediately by up or down facings and/or rapid successions of switching of facing-directions.

6. English Tanz-lang Singular Plural I We You You all (aka “you” plural) He, She, It They Singular Plural A movement away from listener(s), can be as an indiv. or a group Movement of the group of “speakers” away from the one spoken to. An individual can express these plural forms as well, by adding pirouettes into the movements. A movement toward listener(s), can be as an indiv. or group Movement of the group of “speakers” toward each other or toward the one spoken to. Moving left, right, or diagonal Movements of the group in patterns, such as crossing past or between each other diagonally.

8. NO UNS In English Type of Noun (description) Beauty abstract (arabesque) Joy abstract (attitude) Love abstract (develope) Island concrete (sous sus) Ocean concrete (echappe) Land concrete (tendu) Sky concrete (both leg split) Horizon concrete (bent leg split) World concrete (B+) Star concrete (penche) Day concrete (degage) Night concrete no named desc Plant concrete no named desc Animal concrete no named desc

9. The legs execute combinations of movements that represent verbs. Some combos require just a few steps, while others require several. Linking verbs are implied by the subject and therefore not needed. to applaud : one leg rises up and then the other jumps up, meets and switches against the first leg, and the original supporting leg lands. to hate : one leg front position, pull the leg up sharply to the knee, extend it to the side with the knee slightly bent, jump off the left leg, bringing it up to meet the other leg with its knee slightly bent, land on the leg, and then bring the other leg to initial position. to love : with 1 leg extended to side, bring that leg's foot to the ankle of the other leg-as both legs bend at the knees, extend the 1st leg to the side with knee bent & stretch both legs at the same time. to laugh : done with repeat beats, one leg's foot is placed in the front of the other leg's ankle & the foot is quickly thrown forward then softly brought back to the ankle.

10. Learning Tanz-lang is, in one major way, like learning Chinese: most words have a detailed symbolic pattern rather than a combination of letters from an alphabet. What is very different between the 2 languages is that Tanz-lang words are moving bodily representations rather than still symbols. Also, in Tanz-lang, there is a 14-letter alphabet, which can be used to refine meaning &/or to aid in the creation of new words, based off of old words. New words can be added to Tanz-lang. They are created by adding prefixes or suffixes made out of the basic “alphabet.” Some Chinese words: Tanz-lang word-making:

11. and 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 5th

12. word for STAR) A new star is discovered and needs a name: 3 “letter” prefix: 3 “LETTER” PREFIX: Creating a new word:

13. One of the beauties of this language is that there are many ways to say certain words, especially when it comes to nouns. The speaker can use creativity to speak more eloquently. The same possibility for variation exists for sentences. They can be individual or “collective.”

14. In the following conversation, the native islanders are communicating to the dancer that they will applaud her for bringing language to them. They say: “You will be applauded.” She replies by asking whether she will be passionately applauded.

15. A simple conversation: Declarative Collective: “You”- subject Movement of the group of “speakers” toward the one spoken to. “will be”- verb. native islanders simultaneously facing to the side to indicate future tense.

16. “ I”  the Tanz-lang dancer dances away from group “ love”  with 1 leg extended to side, bring that leg's foot to the ankle of the other leg-as both legs bend at the knees, extend the 1st leg to the side with knee bent & stretch both legs at the same time “ the island!” “ The island” (“is a”) L inking verbs are implied by the context. Articles are realized when the motion begins to freeze. “ true beauty.”