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Resumo

This article explores the distinctive characteristics of religious language, emphasizing its markedness compared to everyday speech. It argues that the effort to communicate with the otherworld often leads to unique linguistic practices. The author examines how religious contexts problematize the source of words, the identity and agency of participants, and even the very presence of those involved in the interaction. Different religious practices modify various formal and pragmatic features of language, reflecting their specific beliefs about the world, otherworlds, and their inhabitants. These practices are also shaped by speakers' assumptions about language itself. Because these assumptions relate to the perceived nature of human and nonhuman subjects, religious debates frequently focus on details of verbal and textual practice. The study of religious language, therefore, connects to broader issues concerning the relationship between performance, text, and context. It also reveals inherent tensions between transcendence and the situated nature of practices, with implications for understanding agency and belief.

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