Tongues as a Site of Subversion An Analysis from the Perspective of Postcolonial Politics of Language

In this article I discuss the close relationship between colonialism and the expansion of language. Language is always politically contested. A language can become an international language today because it has a long history of colonization and subjugation of other groups of people. I analyze the sociopolitical dimension of tongues by engaging, among others, linguist Roman Jakobson, philosopher Michel Foucault, and cultural theorist Judith Butler. By placing tongues in the context of the politics of language, I aim to show that the practice of speaking in tongues can be viewed as a strategic subversion and disruption of the regime of Cookies Policy normalized language.