Researching the Learning and Use of Sacred Languages
Bene BassettiAims and Objectives:
This article and the special issue it introduces seek to establish sacred languages as a distinct category of additional languages and their learning and use as a legitimate and valuable area of inquiry within research on sequential bilingualism and language learning. It aims to advance this area by bringing together recent studies and demonstrating the empirical and theoretical contributions of sacred language research to mainstream L2 research.
Approach and Analysis:
The article identifies three central dimensions of sacred language learning and use: perceived sacredness, semantic comprehension across performative and exegetic modes, and purposes for learning and use. It explains why these dimensions warrant treating sacred languages as a category of additional languages, and provides a working definition suited to L2 research. It then examines five studies across languages, populations, settings and methods and synthesises their cross-cutting findings and conceptual and methodological contributions. Finally, it identifies priorities for future research.
Conclusion:
Sacred languages differ fundamentally from the additional languages traditionally investigated in bilingualism and language learning research. Their defining characteristic is perceived sacredness, which shapes the role of semantic comprehension and the purposes of learning and use. Sacred language practices range from performance with little or no semantic comprehension to linguistic and textual analysis exceeding typical language users’ competence. They serve religious, spiritual and communal purposes rather than interpersonal communication. Sacred language research therefore invites reconsideration of both which languages, learners and users the field investigates and what it recognises as language learning and use.
Originality and Significance:
The article provides an L2-oriented definition of sacred language and identifies key concepts, themes and methods, offering researchers an entry point. It sets out priorities for empirical research and discusses theoretical contributions. This special issue is the first collection examining the learning and use of sacred languages as a category.