Includes index

1. Introduction -- 2. The Decline of the Vernacular in the Chinese Religion in Singapore -- 3. Singing in My Language(s): How Religious Verse and Song Contribute to Minority Language Maintenance -- 4. The Role of Islam in the Language Maintenance of the Malay Muslims in Singapore -- 5. The Role of Religion in Written Langauge Maintenance and Shift in Uganda -- 6. Faith and Language Maintenance in Transnational Places of Worship: Brazilian Christian Settings in London -- 7. Language Shift but Religious and Cultural Maintenance: A Study of the Punjabi Sikh Community in Petaling Jaya, Selnagor, Malaysia -- 8. Does Religion Promote as well as Retard Language Maintenance in a Multilingual Context? Evidence from Hinduism and Buddhism -- 9. Religion and Education in the Preservation of Hebrew and Other Jeweish Language Varieties -- 10. The Role of the Islamic Movement in Maintaining Standard Arabic in Israel -- 11. Development of Hebrew/English Biliteracy in a Jewish Day School: Issues of Language and Identity -- 12. Islamic Religious Education, Identity and the Arabic Language Among University Students in Southwestern Nigeria -- 13. Religion and Algerian Languages in the Education System -- 14. Epilogue

This volume addresses the question 'What role does religion play in the maintenance, revival and/or shift, of languages?' The chapters in this volume explore the complex and dynamic relationship between religion and maintenance, revival and/or shift of languages in different multilingual multicultural contexts, under diverse sociopolitical conditions, at different points in time. The 12 chapters cover data from Algeria, India, Israel, Malaysia, Nigeria, Singapore, UK, USA and Uganda and discuss the impact of context, ideology, identity and education on the following religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and some religions closelt associated with China such as Confucianism and Taoism, and their respective languages and varieties of language in these regions. The languages discussed by the writers in this volume include Arabic, English, Hebrew, Malay, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi, Pali, Sanskrit, Tamazight and Yoruba.

Pandharipande, R. V., David, M. K., & Ebsworth, M. E. (Eds.). (2020). Language maintenance, revival and shift in the sociology of religion. Multilingual Matters.