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Chapter 6 - The Languages of Saints and Demons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2021

Yuliya Minets
Yuliya Minets
Affiliation:
Jacksonville State University, Alabama
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Summary

The chapter analyzes the remarks on the use of languages in hagiographical narratives, including episodes that describe the mundane and miraculous linguistic skills of holy men as well as demons and demoniacs speaking in foreign tongues. References to knowing or speaking foreign languages in the hagiographical tradition were closely connected to expressions of holiness in late antique Christianity, both in social practice and in the realm of rhetoric. The use of language is a performative act that is closely related to issues of social differentiation, power, and control in any society, and even more so in multilingual communities. The appearance of Christian hagiographical narratives that depict miraculous linguistic events and abilities of holy men and demons reveals that symbolic power and authority started to manifest themselves through remarks on one’s multilingual competence or the use of specific languages.

Keywords

Hagiographymiracleholy persondemonmetalinguistic remarksspeaking in tonguesxenolaliamultilingualismlanguage acquisitiontranslators
Type
Chapter
Information
The Slow Fall of Babel
Languages and Identities in Late Antique Christianity
 , pp. 288 - 323
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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