What Is Xenoglossy?

[Kelly]

Xenoglossy is a term that is used to describe the ability to speak in an unknown foreign language that has not been learnt or studied previously. The phenomenon often occurs in incidents of past-life-recall, or states of altered consciousness.

The word was derived from the New Latin term xeno meaning strange or foreign and the Greek term glossa meaning tongue.

 

[fiziwig]

Xenoglossy comes in two basic forms, responsive and non-responsive.


In non-responsive xenoglossy the person repeats words or phrases in some other language, but does not respond to a reply to questions addressed to them in that language. There is no evidence that the person understands what they are saying. It gives the appearance that the person is repeating some series of sounds that have been remembered.


In responsive xenoglossy the person is able to carry on a two-way conversation in the other language and exhibits evidence of understanding the language and being able to formulate original statements in that language.

 

[ChrisR]

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