Generically, the term glossalalia refers to any unintelligible speech, often to speech that is 'nonmeaningful' - i.e., even the speaker
knows he or she is talking gibberish which nobody can understand.
More popularly, however, it refers to the curious religious practice commonly called 'speaking in tongues,' whereby the speaker, moved by
the Holy Spirit of God, is inspired to utter a string of nonsensical-sounding words and sounds; presumably, the sounds comprise a real
language - spoken by someone, somewhere - but which make absolutely no sense to the listeners present.
Ah, but are they really speaking a language unknown to them - or is it all just a bunch of made-up gibberish? Aye, there's the rub.
The belief in speaking in tongues is prevalent among more traditional, fundamentalist Christian sects, particularly those referred to
as Pentecostal. This name refers to the miracle of Pentecost in the New Testament, where the Apostles were infused with the Holy Ghost
and proceeded to speak in various languages hitherto unknown to them - but which were understood to others, from various nations, in
the audience - to their great astonishment. (Except for those who mocked, "These men are full of new wine.")
Actually, in the history of Christendom, speaking in tongues was usually considered a little-discussed phenomenon that was experienced
in isolation, usually by smaller sects outside the mainstream. It wasn't really until the Charismatic movement of the 1960's that
the practice really became more widespread, gaining acceptance among more traditional brethren.
The phenomenon of speaking in tongues seems to be divided into separate types:
(a) Speaking in tongues for the benefit of others - This is where a person sufficiently prodded by the Holy Spirit will start speaking
in tongues during a church service, so that his or her words will be heard by others. Depending upon what a given church congregation
believes, there may or may not be a person present who can interpret the utterances.
(b) Speaking in tongues for one's own benefit - This is where, usually during particularly intensive prayer, a person will begin
uttering the telltale nonsensical words and sounds, but is not (ostensibly) doing so to be heard by others.
Glossalalia is closely related to xenoglossia, which refers to a person spontaneously speaking in a foreign language which he
or she has never studied, but which is recognized by others present as being an actual language.
Skeptics have noted that the person speaking in tongues will utter nonsensical syllables that correspond to the speaker's native
language; i.e., a Spanish person speaking in tongues will still utter Spanish-sounding sounds, which will resemble familiar sound
patterns rearranged. It is also considered remarkable how much information these persons will impart with just a few minutes' worth of
(to others) repititious-sounding kerfuffle.
Ah, but are they really speaking a language unknown to them - or is it all just a bunch of made-up gibberish? Aye, there's the rub.