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Tongues

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The phenomenon of ecstatic, unintelligible speech, or the miraculous ability to speak foreign languages, as in the Pentecost event.

Detailed Definition
"Speaking in tongues" (glossolalia) is described in the New Testament as a sign of the Holy Spirit's descent. It represents a direct, transcendent form of communication with God that bypasses the rational mind. In poetry, "tongues" can symbolize the ineffable, the breakdown of ordinary language in the face of divine experience, or the unifying power of the spirit that overcomes the confusion of Babel. It is an image of pure, ecstatic utterance, where the soul speaks in a language known only to God.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Pentecostal poetry, Tongues are Spirit’s fire: “Flames on heads—Tongues praising God in unknown grace”; In Rumi’s verse, Tongues dissolve in love: “Lover and Beloved—Tongues merge into one breath”; In contemporary poetry, Tongues are cultural: “Mother’s lullaby in Urdu—Tongues as homeland”; Poets caution Tongues without love: “Babel’s curse—Tongues that divide, not unite.”
Additional Notes
“Tongues” (glossolalia) refers to ecstatic speech in early Christian communities (Acts 2, 1 Corinthians 12–14), seen as a gift of the Holy Spirit; it also recalls the miraculous understanding of foreign languages at Pentecost; poets may use tongues to explore themes of divine communication beyond rational language, the fragmentation of human speech (Babel), or the yearning for a primal, unified sacred utterance.
Also Known As
Glossolalia Gift of Tongues
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