3 ms·

> I think high-level language skills includes deep cultural competency Somewhat, but not in the sense needed for improv performance. Somebody can be very stron

> I think high-level language skills includes deep cultural competency Somewhat, but not in the sense needed for improv performance. Somebody can be very strong in a language without, say, having watched all of the junk TV from the audience's childhood. > I was going to suggest doing a stint at stand-up Have you ever tried this? It's an absolutely brutal experience even for people with the necessary skills. Studying stand-up comedy? Great. Trying it? I think it's a terrible idea for somebody working on learning the language. And I think you're conflating "foreign accent" with "verbal communication lags far behind", which is super weird to me in this context.

denton-scratch 4y ago
> Have you ever tried this? It's an absolutely brutal experience even for people with the necessary skills. No; I don't have the necessary skills. I'm not funny enough, and I'm not quick-witted enough. I used to heckle standups (and people who thought their poetry deserved a public performance). I mostly regret that behaviour now; I think I figured that a good standup should be able to use a heckler as a foil, a way to improve their show. Certainly the funniest standups can atomise a heckler instantly; heckling a good comic is very risky. The very best standups can deal with a heckle without destroying the heckler - for example, by improvising a joke on top of the heckler's line.