ok, since I'm here I've got to ask....
I've never heard of glossolalia in a medical context. it seems to have religious associations and everybody who doesn't think it's sacred thinks it's fake. has anyone done research on it? is it some kind of brain quirk that takes language back to its most primal (and least significant) form? the babbling itself seems like some sort of proto-language to me.

I've read reports made by people with a skeptical and cynical view on glossolalia and christianity in general saying that it was all made up and they were trained to do it.

"Glossolalics behave in various ways, depending upon the social expectations of their community. Some go into convulsions or lose consciousness; others are less dramatic. Some seem to go into a trance; some claim to have amnesia of their speaking in tongues. All believe they are possessed by the Holy Spirit and the gibberish they utter is meaningful. "

most christian interperatations support the "religious ecstacy" theory, saying that the state is necessary to achieve communion with god and that glossolalia is significant and divine.

in only one report that I've read as scientific research been done wherein subjects were trained to "speak in tongues." it was also the first report I'd seen that seemed to think that it didn't necessarily need to be associated with a state of religious frenzy. it too, seemed to take it as some kind of hoax rather than an interesting phenomena. is it really so commonplace? it seems that little research has been done trying to discover why it happens. is it because it's useless or because it has so much religious connotation? like paranormal and psychic things, perhaps it has the hoax stigma. but I didn't think it was so insubstanial as to warrant no interest, and, being more concrete than ghosts and prophecy, would be classified as a behavioral phenomena rather than a magic trick.

if you love someone else hard enough they might start loving you in return

I think that sometimes it is real.
(real, meaning not a deliberate hoax)

As for the times when it is "real", I think it can quite simply be attributed (like most other cases of paranormal incidences) to power of suggestion.

They convince themselves it is true, so it is true to them.
They believe it will happen.
It does.

But I am not aware of any studies on the matter.

Originally posted by one_raven
I think that sometimes it is real.
(real, meaning not a deliberate hoax) Oooh, Iyaa seee what u meannnn
Wiiith “Glossolalia” Uu ccan talllk lotsss but u no underssstaaand.

Sciforums iiiiiis fullllll of it!

“glossolalia consists of strings of meaningless syllables made up of sounds taken from those familiar to the speaker and put together more or less haphazardly .... Glossolalia is language-like because the speaker unconsciously wants it to be language-like. Yet in spite of superficial similarities, glossolalia fundamentally is not language”

Sorry folks, I'm suffering from xenoglossy!
;)

I wasn't saying it was a language! I was just wondering what on earth a brain had to do to produce glossolalia.

Easy,….Just move some 60 or 70 mussels!

Sometimes people don't take these questions seriously because they hate religion, and especially Christianity. I dislike alot of it, and I think all of it is unsubstantiated and extremely unlikely, but I wish people wouldn't joke-poke around questions like this.

The linguistic analysis of Glossolalia would make an interesting psycholinguistics thesis. It's probably not been studied because it wouldn't tell us anything hugely fundamental or socially applicable. But, like the scrambled speech of schizophrenics, it could be used as a research topic. You might look up John Dee's Enochian records. They've been analyzed quite a bit and, as far as I can tell, are the written equivalent to verbal Glossolia. Supposedly an "angelic language." Pentecostals make similar claims concerning their bizarre outpourings.

Glossolalia as a phenomenon isn't very common in Christianty, and I don't think it exists extensively outside the US (where it is still rare). Along with many religious phenomena, it perplexes me. I'd be willing to ask this: WHY glossolalia?

I personally don’t take it as Hate or not Hate, that would be too simply term for something so complex, right? I just take it as Important or …not as important! You get it?

It is foolish for anyone to connect that shit with religion of any kind. What would be next in you mind’s potentials, that the pizza delivery boy is an antichrist because it came late and cold??
:rolleyes:

you mean it doesn't happen outside of christianity? at all?

In The Acts of the Apostles it says "3And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. 2:4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.". "Speaking in tongues" comes from this phrase.

In the original it meant that the apostles could speak in other languages but this has degenerated into the mystical glossolalia. many glossolaliacs are quite genuine in their belief in what they are doing. They are found mainly in the Pentecostal churches. mainstream Christianity does not encourage that sort of thing.

As far as the linguistic side is concerned, there have been many studies done. There is no structure at all in the "language". The phonemes used are, in the main, those used in the first language of the glossolaliac. It is a string of unconnected syllables with no meaning and no semblance of language as we understand it.

We are, however, not supposed to understand glossolalia as the speakers are speaking directly to their gods.

WHY glossolalia? Olaus, my exposure to pentacostal glossolalia is recent , but what I've come to believe is that this activity is encouraged by some churches . It serves as a way to be accepted into the group . Devotees are taught this "gift" which is assigned as God given .

Self-deception plays a part because this activity is supposedly derived from God and to deny the validity of this part of their religon , would mean that these people would have to admit that they are basically insignificant . The appeal of authority ( church elders , minister etc..) is a also major factor .

Question : Considering the bizarre nature of speaking in tongues .... should it be listed as a "mental disease" ?