Xenoglossy (/ˌziːnəˈɡlɒsi, ˌzɛ-, -noʊ-/[1]), also written xenoglossia (/ˌziːnəˈɡlɒsiə, ˌzɛ-, -noʊ-/[2][3]), sometimes also known as xenolalia, 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. The words derive from Greek ξένος (xenos), "foreigner" and γλῶσσα (glōssa), "tongue" or "language".[4] The term xenoglossy was ostensibly coined by French parapsychologist Charles Richet. Stories of xenoglossy are found in the Bible, and contemporary claims of xenoglossy have been made by parapsychologists and reincarnation researchers such as Ian Stevenson.