Speaking in tongues is a worldwide phenomenon that dates back to the early Christian church. Commonly referred to as "glossolalia," it has been the subject of curiosity and vigorous debate for the past two centuries. Glossolalia is both celebrated as supernatural gift and condemned as semiotic alchemy. For some it is mystical speech that exceeds what words can do, and for others it is mere gibberish, empty of meaning. At the heart of these differences is glossolalia's puzzling relationship to language. ​ Glossolalia and the Problem of Language investigates speaking in tongues in South Korea, where it is practiced widely across denominations and congregations. Nicholas Harkness shows how the popularity of glossolalia in Korea lies at the intersection of numerous, often competing social forces, interwoven religious legacies, and spiritual desires that have been amplified by Christianity's massive institutionalization. As evangelicalism continues to spread worldwide, Glossolalia and the Problem of Language analyzes one of its most enigmatic practices while marking a major advancement in our understanding of the power of language and its limits.

Speaking in tongues, or glossolalia, is practiced in many different religions around the world. Dismissed as meaningless gibberish by some observers, it has been the subject of only a few fragmentary studies. The work of Felicitas D. Goodman represents the first cross-cultural analysis of this enigmatic behavior, and she brings to her research an extensive background in linguistics and anthropology. Dr. Goodman's fieldwork included living with apostolic congregations in Mexico City, in the Yucatan with Maya Indians, and visits with a congregation in Hammond, Indiana. Her observations were preserved on a remarkable collection of sound recordings and films. For this book she presents a selection of conversion stories that highlights the personality structure and experiences of the speakers. A detailed analysis of the phonological and suprasegmental features of the recorded utterances show a surprising cross-cultural agreement. This led Goodman to believe that glossolalists speak the way they do because their speech behavior is modified in a particular mental state, often termed trance, into which they place themselves. In this light the glossolalia utterance is seen as an artifact of a hyperaroused mental state, or, in Chomskyan terms, as the surface structure of a nonlinguistic deep structure, that of the altered state of consciousness. Goodman describes the hyperaroused mental state as a neurophysiological phenomenon, as well as the associated patterns of movement, and the problems of waking from it. Goodman's diachronic approach yielded equally surprising data about the changes and the waning of the behavior over time. But, as she observes, "we have barely touched the edge of a very large area of inquiry." Her fascinating study opens a number of new avenues of research for anthropologists, such as the study of physiological states accompanying linguistic and ritual behavior.

What is the nature and function of the Pentecostal/Charismatic gift of speaking in tongues? Charismatic Glossolalia aims to answer this question. Drawing on detailed observations and interviews with people who themselves speak in tongues, as well as survey data, Cartledge presents explanations on the meaning of this gift for both the participants and their churches. Cartledge argues that an understanding of the gift of speaking in tongues emerges as a symbol of divine-human encounter, especially associated with the context of prayer and worship and symbolising a sense of beauty, awe, power, intimacy and faith-building. In theological terms, speaking in tongues may be described as trinitarian, sacramental and as demonstrating an important feature of the Kingdom of God. An extensive literature review considers material from the New Testament, Pentecostal and Charismatic theology, and the behavioural and social sciences. This book offers a unique contribution to Pentecostal and Charismatic scholarship, as well as the emerging scholarly tradition of Practical Theology.

Andrei Bely was one of the most prolific poets, novelists, and theoreticians among the Russian Symbolists. Engaged throughout his life with the essence of language, his thoughts and findings emerge repeatedly in his essays and novels. None of his writings on the subject, however, are as remarkable and multi-faceted as this Poem about Sound. Glossolalia is a complex examination of philology, philosophy, esoterica, and poetry, all in search of the relationship between sound and sense. It reverberates with sound associations and transcends all boundaries of language, discipline, and tradition. It is simultaneously a treatise on the origins of language and the world's creation through the movements of sounds. Bely reenacts, through the mouth, the cosmology of Rudolf Steiner. Bely's work, in its bold attempt to invoke the "living word," remains one of the most far-reaching poetic experiments of the twentieth Century, and this edition offers his fascinating text for the first time in both an English and a German translation, along with the original Russian version and an in-depth commentary by Thomas R. Beyer. Illustrated.

Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, has long been a subject of curiosity as well as vigorous theological debate. A worldwide phenomenon that spans multiple Christian traditions, glossolalia is both celebrated as a supernatural gift and condemned as semiotic alchemy. For some it is mystical speech that exceeds what words can do, and for others it is mere gibberish, empty of meaning. At the heart of these differences is glossolalia’s puzzling relationship to language. ? Glossolalia and the Problem of Language investigates speaking in tongues in South Korea, where it is practiced widely across denominations and congregations. Nicholas Harkness shows how the popularity of glossolalia in Korea lies at the intersection of numerous, often competing social forces, interwoven religious legacies, and spiritual desires that have been amplified by Christianity’s massive institutionalization. As evangelicalism continues to spread worldwide, Glossolalia and the Problem of Language analyzes one of its most enigmatic practices while marking a major advancement in our understanding of the power of language and its limits.

From the eyes of a minister raised in the traditional Pentecostal church, The History of the Glossolalia From The Pentecostal Perspective traces the art of speaking in tongues from its Pentecostal roots shortly after the death of Jesus Christ to its more recent practices in the modern church. By referencing current events and popular debate this study shows how this rare language remained unchanged despite many attempts to redefine its significance and meaning.