query - prayers of invocation

[Rachel Reynolds]

I have two seat-of-the-pants queries for ling anth readers who may be secreting
away to the internet over the holidays...

1) Does anyone know of work done on the pragmatics of linguistic form of
prayers, cross-culturally. (I have the 1994 volume of periodical L'Homme that
features this topic in South Asian contexts).

2) Can anyone think of a culture group or a religious affiliation that does NOT
employ public prayers given by a single speaker to invoke meetings, inaugurate
or close various services, bless babies or bodies, or bless food or dinner
tables, etc.?

Thanks in advance for any advice/comments you might have.



Rachel R. Reynolds
Language, Literacy and Rhetoric
Department of English
University of Illinois at Chicago
601 S. Morgan, m/c 162
Chicago, IL 60607-7120
(312) 413-2237
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