Exploring sonic experiences in church spaces: a psycholinguistic analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sound plays a critical role in the sensory experience of churches. Yet, it has received scant attention from the point of view of visitors in a context where churches are deserted. We report on the analysis of verbalizations of sonic experiences in a church in Montréal. Results show that sound acquires “a life of its own,” abstracted from the sound sources, unlike other everyday listening situations where sounds are experienced as pointers to object or agents who produce sound. The linguistic analysis emphasizes the frequent use of action verbs to describe the “behavior” of sound in space and time and the effects sound has on visitors. In the particular settings of the data collection, where participants became very aware of their own sounds, their attention was displaced to the qualities of the sounds themselves through a more contemplative listening. Church acoustics can also reinforce the impression that sounds are detached from their sources. Sound phenomena acquire a form of agency to directly affect participants’ perceptions, reflections and mood, placing them in a world of its own where time passes more slowly and space functions differently. We discuss the implications of our findings to inform potential future uses of church spaces.