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Abstrak :
Language and Religion offers an innovative theory of religion as a class of cultural representations, dependent on language to unify diverse capacities of the human mind. It argues that religion is widespread because it is implicit in the way the mind processes the world, as it determines what we ought to do, practically and morally, to achieve our goals. Focusing on the world religions, the book relates modern cognitive theories of language and communication to culture and its dissemination. It explains basic features of religion such as the supernatural, the normative, abstract and ideal theological concepts such as ‘God’, and religious feeling. It develops a linguistic theory, based on how utterances are understood, of metaphysical and moral ‘mysteries’ and their key role in thought and action. It shows how such concepts gain strength in the light of their successful use, and when tempered by criticism, can also have genuine authority.

Abstrak :
Language is indissolubly linked with the members of the society in which it is spoken, and social factors are inevitably reflected in their speech. In this accessible introduction, Downes surveys the various ways that language can be studied as a social phenomenon. He discusses the known relationships between language variation and large-scale social factors, showing how the variation runs along ‘fault lines in social structure’, such as divisions between social classes, the sexes and different ethnic groups. Topics covered include domains of language use, language change, code-switching, speech as social action and the nature of meaning and understanding. This thoroughly revised edition includes an up-to-date analysis of language standardisation, language conflict and planning, and a critique of the pragmatic theory of communication. It explains and illustrates the notion of register, and examines the issues surrounding language ideology and power.