Native or Liturgical Language in Prayers: A Field Research on This Debate

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...

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Main Author: Fatma Nur Bedir
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Mustafa Süleyman ÖZCAN 2021-09-01
Series:İtobiad
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/1708441
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author Fatma Nur Bedir
author_facet Fatma Nur Bedir
author_sort Fatma Nur Bedir
collection DOAJ
description 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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spelling doaj.art-b75623ccf80643e6a793075a3a044ec52023-11-14T09:49:31ZdeuMustafa Süleyman ÖZCANİtobiad2147-11852021-09-011032494251410.15869/itobiad.9167482197Native or Liturgical Language in Prayers: A Field Research on This DebateFatma Nur Bedir0Hitit ÜniversitesiLanguage 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.https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/1708441din psikolojisidili̇badeti̇badet dilidinsel i̇letişim dilipsychology of religionlanguageprayerlanguage of prayerliturgical language
spellingShingle Fatma Nur Bedir
Native or Liturgical Language in Prayers: A Field Research on This Debate
İtobiad
din psikolojisi
dil
i̇badet
i̇badet dili
dinsel i̇letişim dili
psychology of religion
language
prayer
language of prayer
liturgical language
title Native or Liturgical Language in Prayers: A Field Research on This Debate
title_full Native or Liturgical Language in Prayers: A Field Research on This Debate
title_fullStr Native or Liturgical Language in Prayers: A Field Research on This Debate
title_full_unstemmed Native or Liturgical Language in Prayers: A Field Research on This Debate
title_short Native or Liturgical Language in Prayers: A Field Research on This Debate
title_sort native or liturgical language in prayers a field research on this debate
topic din psikolojisi
dil
i̇badet
i̇badet dili
dinsel i̇letişim dili
psychology of religion
language
prayer
language of prayer
liturgical language
url https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/1708441
work_keys_str_mv AT fatmanurbedir nativeorliturgicallanguageinprayersafieldresearchonthisdebate