Tope Omoniyi and Joshua A. Fishman: Explorations in the Sociology of Language and Religion

Abstract

This volume is described as ‘the first definitive text’ on the new discipline of Sociology of Language and Religion (SLR), whilst the editors claim that it ‘represents only an initial effort to provide an overview of the nature of the interface that is the SLR’ (p. 4). Although as a named discipline SLR is new, the idea of a connection between language and religion is very old, and bringing together the study of these two fascinating aspects of human society opens up endless possibilities. As its title suggests, this volume explores some of those possibilities, with contributions from every continent, and from a wide range of religions and languages, demonstrating just how vast and varied the field is. Even in highly secularized Western Europe, religion continues to be as essential as language to the development of human society, and this volume explores some of the multiple ways in which the two interact in complex, sometimes unexpected ways. The 22 chapters are divided into four parts: Effects of Religion on Language; The Mutuality of Language and Religion; Effects of Language on Religion; Language and Religion on Literacy. The majority of contributions are studies of specific instances of interaction between language and religion, the theoretical input being largely restricted to Fishman’s opening chapter, ‘A decalogue of basic theoretical perspectives for an SLR’, in which he proposes a theoretical framework, based on the model of the sociology of language. Omoniyi also offers new concepts for dealing with this new field in his chapter, ‘Societal multilingualism and multifaithism: an SLR perspective’. Omoniyi compares the UK and Nigeria as multinational and multiethnic nations, both ‘secular’ with a variety of religious practices, and introduces the concept of ‘difaithia’, generating a model based on Fishman’s description of diglossia. The remaining chapters represent a diverse collection of examples of the interface between language and religion. They offer insights into how language and