Xenoglossy & Retention of the Personality with the Soul-Introduction

Article by Walter Semkiw, MD

Xenoglossy is a Greek term that means “foreign tongue” or “foreign language.”  In reincarnation research, xenoglossy refers to the ability of a person to speak a language that hasn’t been learned by normal means.

Xenoglossy is thought to provide evidence of reincarnation, as a language must be learned at some point in time.  If an individual did not learn the foreign language in a contemporary incarnation, then that language must have been learned in a past lifetime.

Ian Stevenson, MD described two categories of xenoglossy:

Recitative Xenoglossy

In this condition, an individual can speak a language that hasn’t been learned, but the individual cannot respond, or converse, in that language.

Responsive Xenoglossy

In this situation, an individual can also speak in a foreign language that hasn’t been learned.  In addition, this individual can understand other people speaking the language and can respond, can participate in conversation, in that language.

Ian Stevenson makes the assertion that in responsive xenoglossy, the individual must have learned and practiced the language at some point in time. Stevenson points out that to converse in a language, practice is required.

If this practice was not done in the contemporary incarnation, then the language must have been learned and practiced in a past incarnation.

Speaking in Tongues

Let us also consider the phenomenon of glossolabia, which is the scientific term for speaking in tongues.  Glossolabia is practiced by certain branches of Christianity.  Speaking in tongues differs from xenoglossy in that xenoglossy involves the ability to speak a known foreign language, which other people also understand.

The Ability of the Soul to Retain Past Life Personalities

In some xenoglossy cases, it is observed that the past life personality appears to be almost transported in time from a prior incarnation to the present.  The past life personality may not even know that it has died. A further discusssion of this phenomenon is found in: Principles of Reincarnation

The symbol for xenoglossy consists of two caption boxes, representing speach or two languages.

Xenoglossy Reincarnation Cases

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