This book discusses some of the functions, ends, or goals that language serves in religion; the various kinds of linguistic resources that are exploited; and some of the social processes that characterize the use of language. In section one, "Performance," three approaches to the description of verbal behavior are contrasted. This section contains the following papers: (1) "Nonsegmental Phonology in Religious Modalities," by D. Crystal; (2) "Religious Utterances and the Theory of Speech Acts," by P. L. Ravenhill; and (3) "Language as Ritual Substance," by G. H. Gossen. Section two, "Form," analyzes discourse in prayer and consists of the following papers: (1) "Controlling Capricious Gods," by A. J. Shelton; (2) "From Prayer to Reprimand," by D. Tedlock; (3) "Divination as Model for Literary Form," by B. O. Long; and (4) "The Collect as a Form of Discourse," by C. A. Ferguson. Section three, "Tradition," examines the macrosociolinguistic implications of religiously tinted plurilingualism, in the following papers: (1) "Patterns of Telugu Religious Language," by J. M. Christian; (2) "Liturgy and Language in Judaism," by C. Rabin; and (3) "The Use of Hebrew by Christians in Israel," by P. E. Lapide. (Author/AM)