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When do you say"speak in tongues" and "speak double Dutch"? Thanks


For learning: English
Base language: English
Category: Language

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    Speaking "double Dutch" simply means to talk in gibberish. Any time a person has no idea what a speaker is saying, the person might say "It sounds double Dutch to me." or "He's speaking double Dutch."
    It is not used much any more. It comes from the fact that, even though Dutch and English have the same common root language, most English speakers find Dutch incredibly hard to understand.
    "Speaking in tongues" is also used when someone is speaking gibberish, but it is usually reserved for a religious context. In some churches that promote extreme emotional outlet in their services (Pentecostal is an example), some people will find themselves "possessed" of some holy spirit and start speaking in "languages" which don't actually exist.
    "Double Dutch" could be used in any situation where you don't understand anything a person is saying. "Speaking in tongues" would almost always have some religious connection.


    From urbandictionary.com
    "speaking in tongues" is a term for a phenomenon which today is better known as "automatic" or "unconscious" talking. The person who "speaks in tongues" is unaware of what he/she says, he/she could talk in a foreign or made-up language, or fall back into speech patterns of his childhood. It is mostly induced
    by either psychoactive drugs or a deep hypnotic trance.
    Example: "They are speaking in tongues and don't make any sense"

    "Double Dutch" is similar in that it's a slang term for.unintelligible or garbled speech or language, but has nothing to do with drugs.
    Example: The little girl could have been talking double Dutch for all we understood of it.

    Speaking in tongues - comes from the bible. Ten days after the Ascension the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and gave them the ability to talk in such a way, that everyone who heard, regardless of his mother tongue, understood exactly what they were saying.
    Now it refers to someone talking in such a way that it sounds like a foreign language and no one knows what he is taking about.

    Double Dutch = incomprehensible speak. It's alliteration here, thus the expression. Dutch is no harder to understand for English speakers than any other foreign language.

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