Language and magic; studies in the magical function of speech

by Toshihiko Izutsu

The power of language has come to hold the central position in our conception of human mentality. Today, the man in the street has realised with astonishment how easy it is to be deceived and misled by words. The 'magical' power of the word has caught the attention of those who explore the nature of the human mind and the structure of human knowledge. This work by the late Japanese scholar, first published in 1956, tackles this complex and difficult subject. He studies the worldwide belief in the magical power of language, and examines its influence on man's thought and action. The purpose of the author in this book is to study the world-wide and world-old belief in the magical power of language, to examine its influence on the ways of thinking and acting of man, and finally to carry out an inquiry, as systematically as may be, into the nature and origin of the intimate connection between magic and speech. About The Author Toshihiko Izutsu was Professor Emeritus at Keio University in Japan and an outstanding authority in the metaphysical and philosophical wisdom schools of Islamic Sufism, Hindu Advaita Vedanta, Mahayana Buddhism (particularly Zen), and Philosophical Taoism. Fluent in over 30 languages, including Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Greek, his peripatetic research in such places as the Middle East (especially Iran), India, Europe, North America, and Asia were undertaken with a view to developing a meta-philosophical approach to comparative religion based upon a rigorous linguistic study of traditional metaphysical texts. Izutsu often stated his belief that harmony could be fostered between peoples by demonstrating that many beliefs with which a community identified itself could be found, though perhaps masked in a different form, in the metaphysics of another, very different community.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Language

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Toshihiko Izutsu was a university professor and author of many books on Islam and other religions. He taught at the Institute of Cultural and Linguistic studies at Keio University in Tokyo, the Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy in Tehran, and McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Reviews

[S.M.Y Kayseri · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Nūn. By the pen and what they inscribe” (68:1)

This complex book explores the magical function of language. Here, “magical” does not refer to the kind of magic seen in movies or fiction, but rather, as the author puts it, the “spontaneous magic of intense desire or emotion, which can modify even the most ordinary words and particles, transforming them into something charged with mysterious power.”

Izutsu argues that language not only possesses a denotative function—pointing to the obvious, such as identifying a table—but also a connotative function, where words are infused with something beyond their literal content. For example, “table” is vastly different from “table!” even though both use the same word.

It is through this “magical” function of language that cultural development unfolded, from poetry to the codification of laws. Even in secular societies today, oaths are still uttered in courts and parliaments. The sacredness of certain words is another reflection of this power. For instance, in Jewish tradition, the word YHWH is forbidden to be casually spoken or written, and in Japanese, the real word for “death” has been replaced by a euphemism, “shi-nu.” This universal phenomenon points to the idea that words are not just labels but are the soul of the things they represent.

Leo Frobenius once narrated an incident where a professor’s daughter, playing with matchsticks, gave them roles as Hansel, Gretel, and the Witch. Her imagination was so powerful that she shrieked for help from the Witch. This demonstrates the evocative function of language, where words and symbols do more than express—they invoke emotions and experiences.

Language does not merely convey thoughts; it stirs emotions and feelings. Words act as symbols pointing to something beyond themselves. For example, a lion emblem evokes courage. Similarly, when overwhelmed with emotion, we do not just say words—we imbue them with our feelings. Over time, this evocative power has given rise to rituals and ceremonies, particularly in primitive societies where the line between language and reality was blurred.

The Qur’an acknowledges this “magical” aspect of language, as seen in the verse:
“Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak, from the evil of what He created, from the evil of darkness when it settles, from the evil of the blowers in knots, and from the evil of an envier when he envies’” (113:1-5).

The phrase “blowers in knots” reflects the belief that language can transmit intentions, in this case, evil, through breath and words.

In conclusion, Izutsu challenges the rigid, positivist definitions of language put forth by thinkers like Bertrand Russell and Rudolf Carnap. Language is not merely about reference—it evokes emotions and transforms reality. It has a primal, symbolic power that goes beyond the obvious, a power recognized in both ancient rituals and modern ceremonies.

[Istvan Zoltan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very insightful book combining ideas from linguistics, anthropology and sociology. With great sensitivity Izutsu identifies several social practices and institutions in which our traditional ways of thinking, our inherited appreciation for rituals, form the basis of what and how we do.