Theolinguistics

Theolinguistics

Definition

Theolinguistics is an interdisciplinary field of linguistics study that focuses on the relationship between language and religious beliefs, doctrines, scriptures practices, and texts. It explores how language functions in religious situations, how religious language influences thought and behavior, and how sacred texts are linguistically constructed or interpreted.

Etymology

A word "Theolinguistics" originates from the Greek word θεός (theos) which means "god," and "linguistics" for the study of language.

History

Theolinguistics was introduced by Jean-Pierre (a Belgian linguist) in the 1980s due to the many debates over religious language, and builds on historical linguistic analysis of sacred texts, integrating insights from structuralism, sociolinguistics, and pragmatics to study how language is shaped by religious beliefs and practices.

Key Research Areas

Theolinguistics addresses several major research areas such as:

1. Interlevel Verbalization: Examines how religiously marked linguistic phenomena are expressed at various levels, including phonetics, morphology, syntax, and lexicon.
2. Religious Worldview Reflection: It studies how different linguistic cultures reflect religious views.
3. Religious Concepts: It analyzes the representation of spiritual concepts in the linguistic worldview.
4. Discourse Types: It explores how religion is portrayed in the media such as journalistic, social media, and also in the institutional texts.
5. Precedent Texts: It studies the role and functioning of religiously originated texts in different types of texts.
6. Comparative Analysis: It focuses at the comparative use of religiously marked language units.

References

Crystal, D. (2018). Whatever Happened to Theolinguistics? In Oxford University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190636647.003.0001

Khodjakulova, F. R. (2024). THEOLINGUISTICS: BRIDGING LANGUAGE AND THEOLOGY. Oriental renaissance: Innovative, educational, natural and social sciences, 4(3), 445-449.

Naydenova, N. S., & С, Н. Н. (2018). Modern Linguistics through Post-Secular Perspective. Vestnik Rossijskogo Universiteta Družby Narodov. Seriâ Lingvistika, 22(4), 988–1000. https://doi.org/10.22363/2312-9182-2018-22-4-988-1000