Role of Language in Religion
Language and
Religion
Functions of Religious
Language
Upholding spiritual belief
Persuade
people to believe and to act in a certain way
Expressive
Prescribe
a specific attitude to life
Features of Religious
Language
Doctrine
sustains and promotes its particular spiritual
wisdom
Prayers
are a special form of polite command/request
addressed to God
Liturgies
– chants, thanksgivings, hymns, psalms
Sermons
are moral statements which aim to dictate a
certain kind of behaviour through stories/examples
Theological texts
are discursive documents with a
moral purpose including justifications, guidelines or
explanations of religious teachings
Lexis
Subject specific:
Nouns
– disciples, parables
Verbs
– pray, forgive
Vocabulary
is often
archaic
Formal phrases/idioms
e.g. In the beginning
Formulaic
e.g.
Amen
to mark end of prayer
Antithesis
is common e.g. heaven and hell
Naming of the godhead
e.g. Lord/God/Allah
Modifiers
e.g. Almighty
Determiners
are often
possessive
e.g. God’s love
Abstract nouns
e.g. heaven, salvation
Grammar
Third person singular verbs inflected
with
suffixes
e.g. –(e)th, -(e)st (creepeth, mayest)
Some
verbs
still have older
strong forms
e.g.
sware
for
swore, spake
for
spoke
Do-periphrasis
(emphasis) e.g. I
did
eat
Present tense
is often used to be advisory
Verb mood
is often declarative and imperative
(instructional) e.g. Give heed unto this reading
Modal auxiliary verbs
e.g. We
may
eat of the fruit
Initial position conjunction
e.g. And the Lord said…
Metaphorical Language
Metaphor
adds an extra layer of meaning to stories that
provide spiritual philosophy
Personification
e.g. the voice of the Lord God walking
in the garden
Symbolism
is central to interpretation e.g. Adam and
Eve = humanity; serpent = evil; apple = temptation
Rhetoric
(persuasion) through techniques such as
antithesis
Phonological patterning
e.g. division of texts into
verses (sonorous/resonant tone)
To what extent is religion viewed
as a joke or as entirely fictitious?
10 Commandments:
King James Bible
1.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
2.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness
of anything
that
is
in
heaven above, or that
is
in the earth beneath, or that
is
in the water under the earth;
5
you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the
Lord
your God,
am
a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and
fourth
generations
of those who hate Me,
6
but showing mercy to thousands, to those
who love Me and keep My commandments.
3.
You shall not take the name of the
Lord
your God in vain, for the
Lord
will not hold
him
guiltless who takes His name in vain.
4.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9
Six days you shall labour and do all your
work,
10
but the seventh day
is
the Sabbath of the
Lord
your God.
In it
you shall do no
work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female
servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who
is
within your gates.
11
For
in
six days
the
Lord
made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that
is
in them, and rested
the seventh day. Therefore the
Lord
blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5.
Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which
the
Lord
your God is giving you.
6.
You shall not murder.
7.
You shall not commit adultery.
8.
You shall not steal.
9.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
10.
You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife,
nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything
that
is
your neighbour’s.
Exploring the significance of language in religious contexts, this content discusses the functions, features, lexicon, grammar, and metaphorical aspects present in religious language. It delves into how religious language upholds spiritual beliefs, persuades believers, and expresses specific attitudes. Additionally, it highlights the use of archaic vocabulary, unique grammar forms, and metaphorical techniques in religious texts.
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Presentation Transcript
Language and Religion
Functions of Religious Language Upholding spiritual belief Persuade people to believe and to act in a certain way Expressive Prescribe a specific attitude to life
Features of Religious Language Doctrine sustains and promotes its particular spiritual wisdom Prayers are a special form of polite command/request addressed to God Liturgies chants, thanksgivings, hymns, psalms Sermons are moral statements which aim to dictate a certain kind of behaviour through stories/examples Theological texts are discursive documents with a moral purpose including justifications, guidelines or explanations of religious teachings
Lexis Subject specific: Nouns disciples, parables Verbs pray, forgive Vocabulary is often archaic Formal phrases/idioms e.g. In the beginning Formulaic e.g. Amen to mark end of prayer Antithesis is common e.g. heaven and hell Naming of the godhead e.g. Lord/God/Allah Modifiers e.g. Almighty Determiners are often possessive e.g. God s love Abstract nouns e.g. heaven, salvation
Grammar Third person singular verbs inflected with suffixes e.g. (e)th, -(e)st (creepeth, mayest) Some verbs still have older strong forms e.g. sware for swore, spake for spoke Do-periphrasis (emphasis) e.g. I did eat Present tense is often used to be advisory Verb mood is often declarative and imperative (instructional) e.g. Give heed unto this reading Modal auxiliary verbs e.g. We may eat of the fruit Initial position conjunction e.g. And the Lord said
Metaphorical Language Metaphor adds an extra layer of meaning to stories that provide spiritual philosophy Personification e.g. the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden Symbolism is central to interpretation e.g. Adam and Eve = humanity; serpent = evil; apple = temptation Rhetoric (persuasion) through techniques such as antithesis Phonological patterning e.g. division of texts into verses (sonorous/resonant tone)
To what extent is religion viewed as a joke or as entirely fictitious?
10 Commandments: King James Bible You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labour and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour s house; you shall not covet your neighbour s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that isyour neighbour s. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
