Language and Religious Identity (original) (raw)

Language, ethnicity and religion: a complex and persistent linkage

Nations and Nationalism, 2008

Among the markers of ethnonational identity, language and religion have figured with equal prominence. In many cases, religion has been the bedrock of nation-building; and even today, it is difficult to separate a number of national identities from their religious matrices. Religious identity is based on, and perpetuated in, narratives expressed in a specific language. Language and religion are related; in our secular age, however, that relationship is no longer consistent. The two may feed upon one another; language may substitute for religion; or religion may trump language. This article explores the varying relationships between language and religion.

Language, Religion and Culture

Akshara, Vol. 16, 2024

Ever since the inception of human civilization, religion and culture have stood side by side, interwoven with each other and it is difficult to detach them or contemplate their existence individually. Religion has always come wrapped in cultural guise and reflexively, when we think of religion; it is always determined by culture. Humans have the tendency to spin themselves in webs of significance and also thus cherish their own identity and value within the society. This paper is an attempt to delineate the fine thread of relation between religion, society and culture. It is a study of some theories underlying these elements and also how they interact and interfere in a dynamic manner. If culture is a historically transmitted pattern of meanings and conceptions embedded in symbols, religion is a system of symbols which serve to lay down powerful and pervasive moods and motivations in human beings. Religion gives a kind of orientation to human beings and provides a meaning to their lives which is purely abstract and remains in the psychological domain. At the same time, religion enables man to have a distinctive conception of the world; it serves as a guide to his ontological and epistemological set up and also helps him to understand the relations between his fellow beings. In the society, religion has a unifying effect in the sense that it unifies the different social elements in it. Simultaneously, religion is also subject to changes in the society through time. Man's way of life influences the approach to religion and the religious attitude influences the way of life. At the same time it is religion which initiates profound and even revolutionary changes within culture.

Language of religion as a marker of social identity and ethnicity in Middle East

The topic of ‘language and religion’ is relatively new to sociolinguistics and the Systematic development of ‘language and religion’ as marker of social identity and ethnicity study onlyreally started to come about in the past decade. Therefore, we considered it appropriate tostart this volume with an accessible and generalizing introductory article to this field of study. Language of Religion describes the transcendent Reality (God, Divine, Deity, Abstract power underlying theUniverse) and its connection with the material/observable reality.The special code which describes it is language of religion. Examples (Scriptures, discourses of the religious leaders, stories, etc. with themes of origin of the universe, existences, their inter-relationship, more and ethical code based on the perception of the above). The description is accepted as the Truth by the believers, and the logic within the tradition is internal. However, philosophers put the language related statements through logical examination since language as a phenomenon exists outside the realm of religion. Language of religion means language in religious practice.The way people use their language and Sociolinguistics is my concern with a choice speakers make of the grammatical structures, where the grammar permits those, where these choices have cultural (religious) significance and on other hand social part, and here in this term paper I will be focusingon religious language in the middle east as a marker of social identity and how religious language influences their life and language.

Language and Religion: Different Salience for Different Aspects of Identity

The salience of ethnic identity as a cause of domestic and international conflict received extensive coverage in the literature. Even though they recognize the multi-dimensional nature of ethnicity, most early studies treated the concept as uni-dimensional. More specifically, they focused on ethnic differences in general, mostly on what aspect of their identity groups differed and which differences are more likely to lead to violent conflicts. As it has been widely accepted, ethnic identities can develop along various lines (linguistic, religious, racial, etc.) and it would not be realistic to expect all of these dimensions to have the same level of salience for the individuals that belong to those groups. The question we must ask ourselves is which one of these dimensions is more likely to lead an ethnic group to conflict? Some of the more recent studies emphasized religion as a more salient aspect of ethnic identity. Here, I argue that, although religion is an important aspect of an individual’s identity, it is linguistic differences that are more likely to lead to conflict by limiting individual’s ability to self-express, communicate with others effectively, and take advantage of the opportunities available in that society. This is because when we look at conflicts between a state and an ethnic group one must keep in mind that the asymmetric nature of the actors may cause different motivations and salience levels. In order to test this argument, I build a two-equation simultaneous equations model that look at different characteristics of ethnicity and their impact on the coercive behavior by the ethnic group and the government. The results reveal that the issue may not be as straightforward as one may think.

The Relationship Between Language and Religion

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2020

Language is the most powerful means of communication, a vehicle of expression of cultural values and aspirations and instrument of conserving culture. As such language is an important means to acquire and preserve the identity of a particular group or community. This also affects how linguistic conflict plays a role in religious conflict and how it is manipulated by certain groups. We have to use language in the positive sense to manage socio-cultural, linguistic, religious and political needs of the world. The paper therefore highlights that language and religion have to be used in a positive manner especially in Malaysia which is a multi-racial country.

Protecting Linguistic and Religious Minorities: Looking for Synergies among Legal Instruments

Religion, 2021

Language and religion are two main cultural markers of collective identities and articulating factors at play in the majority-minority game. However, from a legal and political point of view, language and religion work very differently as factors for determining minorities. This is due, on the one hand, to their different connection with public bodies and, on the other hand, to the different role played by the two identity markers, more substantive in the case of religion and more instrumental in the case of language. Different forms of protection of linguistic and religious diversity and minorities have been developed so far. The two fields of protection have evolved separately and there has hardly been any dialogue between them. This article aims to analyze whether and how the usual forms of protection of linguistic diversity and linguistic minorities can be useful for the management of religious-based diversity or minorities. In this respect, linguistic diversity management draws...

The identity in religious language in Malaysia

In Malaysia, the Malay language is a national language in relation to its identity formation in a multi-ethnic country. However, there are some linguistic practices and texts which are of critical importance to religious understandings among different religious adherents, such as the issue of the use of the word " Allah ". This paper discusses how the Malay language plays its role in religious understandings and how religious understandings have impacted on the political and intellectual spheres in Malaysia. The discussion is based on the pragmatic concept suggested by Crystal (1999) which views identity and language from the perspective of its users, and Russell " s approach (1940) to identity and meaning in the philosophy of language. The data used in the discussion relate to a controversial issue of religious language in Malaysia. The discussion shows that although the Malay language plays its vital role in religious understandings, its role leaves unclear identity because the Malay language is too exclusive to the Muslim community. The discussion also shows that religious understandings have impacted on the political and intellectual spheres in Malaysia by taking into consideration the different views among Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) leaders over the use of the word " Allah " by Christians.