Speaking in Tongues: Reconsidering Macaronic Performance Texts

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Medieval and Renaissance Drama Society (MRDS)

Organizer Name

Mario B. Longtin

Organizer Affiliation

Univ. of Western Ontario

Presider Name

Mario B. Longtin

Paper Title 1

How to Speak English like a Sarasin: The Unrecognized Language as a Source of Dramatic Fiction: The Case of the Farce Colin, fils de Thevot

Presenter 1 Name

Emilie Pilon-David

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Univ. of Western Ontario

Paper Title 2

The Tongues of Men and Angels: Functions of Polyglotism in Early German Drama

Presenter 2 Name

Stephen Wright

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Catholic Univ. of America

Paper Title 3

"Ho Ho Ri Ha He": Linguistic Otherness in French Mystery Plays

Presenter 3 Name

Vicki Hamblin

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Western Washington Univ.

Start Date

11-5-2013 10:00 AM

Session Location

Valley I 103

Description

Medieval drama negotiates numerous languages and registers in its corpus, from liturgical Latin to country dialects. The overlaying of these in macaronic texts creates multiple layers of significations for audience members, based on class, region, vocation, and education, and also calls into question the supposed univocity of language and meaning. Like the tongues dispersed at Pentecost, the single text speaks variously to various audiences.

Carolyn Coulson-Grigsby