Glossolalia and Linguistic Alterity: The Ontology of Ineffable Speech

Evandro Bonfim

doi:10.3167/arrs.2015.060106

Jump to Content Jump to Main Navigation

Glossolalia and Linguistic Alterity

The Ontology of Ineffable Speech

in Religion and Society

Author:

Evandro Bonfim

Evandro Bonfim National Museum, Rio de Janeiro evandrobonfim@hotmail.com

Search for other papers by Evandro Bonfim in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

View More View Less

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.3167/arrs.2015.060106

Keywords:: charismatic Christianity; glossolalia; iconicity; linguistic alterity; non-humans; speech sounds

Restricted access

Purchase this article

USD $30.00

Click here to view the full Terms and Conditions

USD $0.01

Click here to view the full Terms and Conditions

All currencies in US Dollar

This article proposes a revised definition of glossolalia based on the ritual value of incomprehensible speech, which allows for an approach to meaning emergence in non-human languages and the issue of extreme linguistic alterity. The main social and acoustic features associated with glossolalia will be presented through the case study of a Christian charismatic community in Brazil (the Canção Nova), showing us how linguistic evidence supports different notions of Christian personhood and an iconic-based communication between human and divine beings.

Print
Save
Cite
Email this content

Share Link

Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend
Email this content
or copy the link directly:

https://www.berghahnjournals.com/abstract/journals/religion-and-society/6/1/air-rs060106.xml
The link was not copied. Your current browser may not support copying via this button.

Link copied successfully