Xenoglossy

Xenoglossy ( /ˈziːnɵɡlɒsi/ or /ˈzɛnɵɡlɒsi/), also written xenoglossia (/ziːnɵˈɡlɒsiə/ or /zɛnɵˈɡlɒsiə/), is the putative paranormal phenomenon in which a person is able to speak or write a language he or she could not have acquired by natural means. For example, a person who speaks German fluently, but who is not a native German speaker, has never studied German, never been to a German-speaking country, and never associated with German speakers or had any other source of exposure to the German language, would be said to exhibit xenoglossy. The existence of xenoglossy is not generally accepted by linguists and psychologists (Samarin 1976, Thomason 1984, 1987, 1996). However, psychiatrist and paranormal researcher Ian Stevenson documented several cases that he considered authentic (Stevenson, 2001). The words derive from Greek ξένος (xenos), "foreigner" and γλῶσσα (glōssa), "tongue" or "language".