ABSTRACT
One of the most basic issues where language and religion intersect is the existence, in many cultures, of sacred texts, sometimes composed in hieratic (or sacred) languages that are used for religious purposes only. 1 For cultures where certain texts are so revered, there is often almost an identity of language and religion, such that the language of the texts also becomes sacred, and must be controlled, kept pure, kept out of the wrong hands (or wrong ears), and may even become the monopoly and source of livelihood for a hereditary priesthood.
