As part of the SciArt Osijek 2026 programme, the Days of Science and Art organized by Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, an interactive workshop entitled “Emotions in Language” was held at the Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek. The workshop was led by Asst. Prof. Ana Werkmann Horvat, PhD, and Prof. Tanja Gradečak, PhD, with the assistance of undergraduate English Studies students, who took turns leading individual activities and working with the children.
The aim of the workshop was to introduce participants to the ways in which language shapes and conveys emotions. The workshop was based on the idea that people often use metaphors to describe their feelings because metaphorical expressions can sometimes convey abstract emotional experiences more precisely than literal language. Children and young people took part in several creative activities. In one part of the workshop, participants identified emotions based on various expressions and metaphors in different languages, trying to determine which feeling was hidden behind particular linguistic formulations. In this way, they explored how language can reflect complex emotional experiences.
In the second part of the workshop, participants drew different emotions, depicting how they imagined feelings such as happiness, sadness or anger. Through this activity, they connected artistic expression with an understanding of emotions and language. Another particularly engaging activity involved mapping emotions onto the body. Participants were asked to place emoji symbols on a silhouette of the human body and indicate where in the body they experienced certain emotions – for example, happiness, nervousness or excitement. This activity encouraged discussion about how emotional experiences are often manifested through physical reactions as well.
The workshop attracted considerable interest among visitors, and the students participated very actively and enthusiastically in activities that combined linguistics, psychology and creative expression, while also having fun and learning something new!
Text: Roman Šimunović
Photographs: Karla Bulum