Can Language Be Classified As Religion?

Linguistic Religion

by Nirjhar Chakravorti

Can language be termed as a kind of religion if we go by the logic that religion is a particular way of life which drive human being to club together to practice common rituals and live life with some common minimum understanding?

Even though language doesn't call for practicing any ritual, but it has a strong power to bring a group of people under a common platform and act together. If we see closely, we'll found most of the nations, states or sub states have been built based on language only (ofcourse there are other background as well for formation of many states). So language, even though it's purpose is different, but has lots of features what religion demands. One very contradictory fact can be interestingly observed about language and its effect on human life. In one way, language helps people to communicate and come close to each other; but at the same time, in contrary, it creates gap between people in broader sense and encourage people to disintegrate on larger scale!

Language is a medium to walk through a hidden knowledge reservoir generated by socio - cultural evolution of human survival in a particular region. Nowadays, scientists are worried for the extinction of some of the languages, particularly the languages of Australian tribes for the reason that with the languages their knowledge kingdom also will have a natural death.  In a simple way, we can say that language is a part of a bigger socio - cultural heritage.

Before monolithic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) surfaced on earth, people had their god or goddess of their own choices. For example, Greece had many gods (like Poseidon,  Apollo etc) before Christianity swept away all of them. In Roman Bath, UK there are temple of Goddess Aqua Sulis, who had devotees before Christ. Olympic game (taken from Mycenae culture) remains till today as a cultural heritage taken from them. Therefore, the religion changes but culture remains. It is said that in case of Muslims in Bengali community, as a whole, you will find most of them converted to Islam under the threats and oppression of Upper Caste people or in some cases may be by influence or pressure from Muslim rulers. So, they have changed their belief on god from one form to another. But their socio-cultural behavior largely remains the same. In villages in Bengal, many cultures, language and many other customs are same as before. For example, in Sundarban, there is a god - "Bonbibi" for all cutting across the barrier of caste, creed and religion. It represents the common cultural practices and rituals of the people who inhibit within a certain geographical diameter and speak a common language. More interesting observations on linguistic rituals are found amongst the Bengali speaking people. Bengali is a very unique language which has few distinct characteristics. Bengali is spoken by people of two neighbouring countries. Bengali is national language of Bangladesh which fought it's freedom based on linguistic identity only and got separated from Pakistan in 1972 by sacrificing life of freedom fighters. During the time when British left India, present Bangladesh became part of Pakistan as majority of the people in the demography were Muslim and the division of India and Pakistan happened based on religious majority basis where Pakistan was formed with people who followed Islam whereas India was a Hindu major country even though India was successful to retain a secular identify. The official language of the states of India, like West Bengal and Tripura is Bengali where majority of people is Hindu. But still this vast geography of West Bengal, Bangladesh and Tripura follow few common days with same spirit like Bengali New Year Day, Birthday of Nobel Laureate Poet Rabindranath Tagore, etc despite of political, religious and other differences. Here language become a predominant force to bring people of varied interests under a common umbrella and encourage them to follow few unique rituals which is purely based on linguist identify.

These are few examples which call for deeper insight in linguistic identity of people and power of language to bring people in a common platform by practicing certain rituals.

Also, in this context another phenomenon to be considered this is changing linguistic behaviour of people of certain demography. For example, language of many Phillipines Island is Tagalog. However, with the growing catholic influence over the time and tendency of a vast majority of people to go out of country for seeking jobs, English is becoming more practiced language among a mass community. Even though Tagalog is still practiced widely, but English is also becoming popular amongst new generations. So it's a linguistic transformation of a vast demography which is an interesting subject to follow. The same tendency can be followed amongst the people of Wales where English is gaining more popularity amongst newer generation than practicing Welsh language. In India also, a certain portion of people started practicing English as major language than their mother tongue. Even with the growing influence of English there are cultural shift from traditional rituals to rituals followed by western countries. Even people of so-called Hindu or Buddhist or other religions started celebrating X-Mas with new spirit as ritual. Also the modus of birthday celebration with cakes and candles becoming part of culture in India which is neither part of Indian Sanskrit culture nor part of Hinduism nor Sikh nor any other prevailing religious school of India. So linguistic transformation of a community is also bringing change in behavioural pattern of the people which is interesting subject to study.

Thus there can be more discussion on effect of language on demography and whether language can be predominant identity of people than their so-called religious identity. It may in other word encourage people to treat language as a kind of religion which have potential to end up so-called craziness that is going to create new problems across the globe in everyday life. For example, there is constant threat of global terrorism which is encouraged by particular religion, which is a real damage to the human civilization. Also, there is pseudo war sponsored by certain religion which try to destroy the cultural fabric of the entire world by different means (starting from terrorism to so called appeal for peace in the name of religion whichever suits to a particular country or region) and globally impose medieval socio-cultural behavior of an under developed region. Most importantly sometimes extremists and terrorists are promoted as leader of the religious centers and get involved in religious teaching to misguide people by camouflaging about the intent of that religion. If linguistic based culture is promoted as religion, then these extremist attempts will not be successful as their will not be real need for so called religious leaders.  In the context of this discussion another interesting factor also needs to be evaluated which encourages linguistic or local extremism like problem of Northern Ireland, issues between Srilankan mainland inhabitants and Tamils, Outburst of Burmese population against Rohingya’s religious terrorists and their entire community, Voice of Catalonia, etc.

  

Also it needs to be studied more regarding reaction of so-called religious schools and their leaders if there is a conscious effort to promote linguistic and regional identity more predominantly as part of religion than so-called religious identity. Also, this concept of linguistic religion and its feasibility needs to be discussed and evaluated by different academic, global political and social platforms.