| Summary: | Language is an alive and dynamic phenomenon that grows, changes and expands by its nature. It is a vital tool to communicate with other people and to understand them. The importance of language for religion as a social and cultural phenomenon cannot be denied either. There are many studies mainly in sociology and literature in terms of the importance of language for prayer. Some of these studies discuss which language is more appropriate for prayer, while others discuss whether the translations meet the intended meaning. Besides, some studies draw attention to the use of daily language as a demonstration of one’s religiosity.There are various studies about language; however, in this study, its usage in prayers will be evaluated from a psychological point of view. Our aim in this study is to discover the function of the language in prayers as well as its importance and meaning in communication with God for the person. This research attempts to explore whether understanding or practice is influential on the individual’s religious experiences and actions. For this purpose, qualitative research was applied using a semi-structured interview technique, which included 12 theology faculty students determined by random and snowball sampling. The data obtained through in-depth interviews were analyzed using descriptive analysis method. As a result, it was determined that the participants attribute holiness to the liturgical language, albeit to varying degrees. While some participants attributed a sacredness as required by religious rules, others emphasized the social dimension or phonetic features of language and hence its emotional impact. Especially about adhan, the liturgical language has been conceptualized as sacred. Participants agreed that the adhan recitation should continue according to the tradition. The unifying feature of the adhan is the most effective factor in this. On the subject of salaah, we can say that the perceptions about the language used are similar and the importance of following traditions and personal habits are effective on this. In addition, despite the importance of “understanding” during worship and prayer, it is more preferable that rote movements without paying attention to meaning create a trance-like situation. In this case, meaning becomes important not during prayer, but rather during non-prayer times.
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