Linguistics and literary theory

Linguistics and literary theory

The study of linguistics has sometimes involved a search

for patterns that may underlie all languages. But linguistics has occasionally also

suggested general patterns and structures that may underlie something broader than

language alone: human consciousness. This interest in underlying patterns has brought

new attention to the possible structures behind religious tales, rituals, and other

expressions of religious beliefs and attitudes. Linguistics has also examined religious

language for its implications and often-hidden values. (Consider, for example, the various

implications of the religious words sin and sacred.) Literary theory, on the other hand,

has studied the written texts of religion as reflections of the cultural assumptions and

values that produced the texts. Literary theory has thus pointed out some of the ways in

which religions have reflected and promoted the treatment of women and minorities, for

example, as different from or inferior to more dominant groups. Literary theory also has

shown that nonwritten material—such as religious statues, paintings, songs, and even

 

films—can be viewed as forms of discourse and can therefore be studied in the same

ways that written texts are studied.

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