Resumen de Language planning as an element of religious practice

Anthony J. Liddicoat

• Language is central to the practice of religion and decisions about language use characterise the ways in which religious practice is constructed. In the religious domain, language is often viewed as having more than a communicative function and languages themselves may have the status of holy artefacts. This attribution of holiness plays a significant role in language planning for religion. This paper argues that in religious practice two basic orientations to language can be discerned: a sacrality orientation, which views to languages as sacred objects, and a comprehensibility orientation, which views languages as resources for communicating about religion with others. The paper traces the ways in which language planning in different areas of religious practice is influenced by these two orientations. It then briefly examines some of the ways in which religious practice and the religious associations of language influence language planning more broadly.