“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels” is the opening conditional statement with which St. Paul begins his great ode to the primacy of love. Of course, there wasn’t actually any question in Paul’s mind that speaking in angelic tongues, as well as human tongues, was entirely possible, in fact, that it was done regularly. Speaking in the tongues of angels was considered an unlearned skill. The utterance of angelic sounds and syllables whose meanings were distinct from known human languages was believed to be a divine gift.
There are those who still practice speaking in the tongues of angels as they feel the movement of the Holy Spirit within them. The majority of Christians, however, have neither engaged in nor witnessed speaking in tongues as a part of their religious devotion. They confine themselves strictly to human tongues.
Human language is a part of our lives from the very beginning. Our first language is acquired most readily because without needing to study it formally, we mimic what we hear from the family members who surround us and coach us. But acquiring additional languages can prove more challenging and may expose us to influences we hadn’t anticipated.
For example, according to a recent article by Nicola Prentis in Quartz Ideas, our personalities can actually shift depending on the language we speak. A study conducted by Professor Nairan Ramírez-Esparza of the University of Connecticut found that when bilingual Americans took personality tests in their two languages, their self-reported personality traits varied significantly between tests. When these Americans took the personality test in English, they consistently scored higher in extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness than when they took the same test in their other language.
The conclusion the researchers reached was that a language cannot be separated from the cultural values we associate with it. Because English-speaking Americans tend to expect and value extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness, speaking English influenced people to evaluate themselves in light of those traits and to adopt those traits. It seems that language helps us to tap into personal qualities we might not otherwise value, explore or adopt. Language can, perhaps, change us.
All of this brings us to wonder anew about the tongues of angels. Speaking in tongues may not have been a gift we’ve received, nor is it one we can study in order to learn. But what traits might angelic voices whisper to us? What might they encourage in us or expect of us?
Maybe angelic tongues would help us to aspire to the trait St. Paul admired above all others. While faithfulness was enduring, Paul said, and hope was a lasting gift in life, the greatest of all traits was loving kindness. Pursue love, was Paul’s advice – grow in love, embody and demonstrate love.
Perhaps we could learn to let love be the voice we employ and the language with which we communicate most readily. If we let love be our first language, it just might change us.
What tongues do you speak?