Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic

Can a bump on the head cause someone to speak with a different accent? Can animals, aliens, and objects talk? Can we communicate with gods, demons, and the dead? From ancient curses carved on tablets to modern-day affirmations, supernatural language is used in an attempt to predict the future, diagnose and cure disease, attract good luck, repel bad luck, and to charm and curse. Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic explores a wide range of weird language-related phenomena, including blasphemy, Bigfoot language, hypnosis, handwriting analysis, chain letters, spells, spirit writing, and hidden satanic messages.

We take a look at some bizarre real-life cases, including the story of a modern English woman who suddenly began speaking in an ancient Egyptian dialect. We hear about a song that is so depressing it is said to drive people to commit suicide, and the belief that if you fall asleep on a book you can absorb its contents without having to read it. This book is a curio shop full of colourful superstitions, folklore, and legends about language.

'Language, with its uncanny ability to transmit ideas from mind to mind, has always seemed to have magical powers. Karen Stollznow ably and engagingly debunks the nonsense and superstitions, and in doing so enhances, rather than diminishes, our appreciation of this wondrous human ability.' - Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, US, and author of The Language Instinct and The Sense of Style

'Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic could not be more timely. Here the accomplished linguist, Karen Stollznow, persuasively and forcefully dramatizes how language has many real world powers that might seem mysterious, as when a brain injury causes someone to switch from one language to another. But readers will soon grasp that while language does have power, it isn't particularly magical or mysterious. This engaging, one-of a kind, book deserves very wide readership.' - Elizabeth Loftus, University of California, US

Can a bump on the head cause someone to speak with a different accent? Can animals, aliens, and objects talk? Can we communicate with gods, demons, and the dead? Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic is a curio shop full of colourful superstitions, folklore, and legends about language.

Karen Stollznow is a linguist with a background in history and anthropology. She is a columnist, podcaster, and the author of God Bless America and Haunting America. Karen was a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and has spent many years teaching and writing about a diverse array of topics, including language, culture, religion, and unusual beliefs and practices. Karen was born in Sydney, and has a PhD in linguistics from the University of New England, Australia. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado.

PART I: MAGICAL LANGUAGE 

1. Curses, Charms and Taboos

2. Divination

3. Prediction

4. Prayer

5. Chain Letters

PART II: POSSESSED LANGUAGE

6. Foreign Accent Syndrome

7. Xenoglossia

8. Speaking in Tongues

9. Psychic Mediums and Channelers

10. Automatic Writing

PART III: HIDDEN LANGUAGE

11. Voices of the Dead

12. Backmasking

13. Reverse Speech

14. The Bible Code

15. Secret Symbols

PART IV; INHUMAN LANGUAGE

16. Talking Animals

17. Pet Psychics and Psychic Pets

18. Monster Language

19. Alien Language

20. Talking Objects

PART V: THERAPUTIC LANGUAGE

21. Graphology

22. Speech and Sound Therapies

23. Neuro-Linguistic Programming

24. Hypnosis

25 Body Language