The Daily Yomiuri, an English-language newspaper in Japan, had an article entitled "Recalling Past Languages from Past Lives." The article was written by a Japanese professor of psychology and English in a column called "The Practical Linguist." It said that studies have shown that some people can speak a language from a previous life.

Some linguists, however, call this "pseudolinguistics" and say that studies of supposedly reincarnated speakers show that they do not know any more than a handful of words of languages from their supposed previous lives, and that they had the opportunity and motivation to learn these words in their current lives.

Thoughts? Has anyone heard of people who have claimed to know foreign languages from their past lives?

I'd call it wishful thinking rather than linguistics. Since I don't even believe in life after death, it's rather hard for me to believe in previous lives or the languages one spoke in them. Of the various folks I've met who claim to have knowledge of one of their previous lives, I've yet to meet anyone who was a Belgian peasant; they're all Minoan princesses etc.

And we linguists are waiting with bated breath for one of those Minoan princesses to come up with some actual Minoan that can be used to translate Linear A tablets. Hasn't happened yet. I'm just saying.

I have never, ever believed in "past lives" or any of that nonsense. I have absolutely never believed in any aspect of reincarnation.

Hang on.... Well, I did once but that was in a past life (I was a Minoan princess) and so that shouldn't count.

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Since I don't even believe in life after death,

I've begun to question life before death as well.

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Since I don't even believe in life after death, it's rather hard for me to believe in previous lives or the languages one spoke in them.

I don't believe in afterlife, either. I brought the subject up because this concept is discussed in the linguistic literature, albeit as pseudoscience. Here is Language Log's discussion of it.