The way I know it -
"My understanding of tongues is that the person speaking in tongue sort of loses consciousness and begins speaking beyond their own control,"
That's a good Thumbnail sketch of DEMONIC tongues, as manifested by Demonized folks - which are sometimes spoken without the person's mouth even moving, and in a totally different voice. And it IS compulsive, and the person so involved may not have any memory of having "spoken" after the fact.
On the other hand -
The "GIFT" of tongues (1 Cor 12) has no intrinsic "emotion" or loss of consciousness, or loss of personal volition connected to it at all. In the beginning there may be a "JOY" and an exuberance associated with it (as a NEW THING!! from the Lord). I've been "speaking in tongues" now for about 37 years, and there's not particular emotion at all - except for a "peace", and a "Rest" to it.
I've been around "tongues" people (Pentecostals and Charismatics) in 6 states over the last 49 years, and it's just about always the same - A person "just speaks" in a tongue without "build up" or fanfare, and it's followed by an interpretation. In 49 years I can still count the number of times that a "Tongue" was spoken in a meeting, and there WAS NO "interpretation". Some tongues are "Complex" in nature and appear to have the characteristics of "language". And SOME tongues are idiot simple and sound like "gibberish". I've NEVER heard a tongue that I recognized, and I haven't recognized my OWN either.
An illustration that is valid in MY case (and other that I've talked about it with) would be "reading aloud from a book". When you read aloud from a book, YOU are not supplying the words - the book is, by way of your eyes to your mind - and you're simply making the "Sounds" dictated by the words on the page. You're not "thinking anything up, and you're mind is involved only in creating "speech".
In a similar manner, the person speaking in a "tongue" is also "Not supplying the words" - the Holy Spirit is, and they're not coming into his mind by way of his eyes, but directly in from the Spirit. It's still up to the "mind" to create the "sounds" of the words audibly, and you're simply speaking what's "flowing in" by the Spirit.
There ABSOLUTELY NOTHING "Ecstatic" about it whatsoever.
I've spoken in tongues for 47 years. I received it during worship at an FGBMFI DInner meeting in Sidney, OH in '73 When all of a sudden I became "Aware" of unusual words in my mind - which flowed as I spoke them.
And like typical "Pentecostals", I can speak in a tongue that's simply present there all the time, and "Flows" as long as I desire to speak it. We Pentecostals normally refer to this as a "Prayer language" (1 Cor 14:2), and it APPEARS generally to be simply present with those who've experienced the "Baptism in the Holy Spirit" (to use the AoG vernacular).
BUT -
My "English" - when I speak it autonomously DOES NOT CONSTITUTE PROPHESY - unless I'm specifically burdened by the Holy Spirit to speak a prophetic word (or deliver an interpretation of a tongue).
In the same way, my "Prayer language" DOES NOT Constitute a "Message in a tongue" - unless I'm specifically burdened by the Holy Spirit to manifest a "Message in a tongue" publically.
SO FAR I've ONLY manifested "Interpretation", and "Prophesy" publically.
In 1 Cor 14, Paul sets out some "Organizational ground rules" - the main one being - "if you're gonna teach/instruct/edify a group of folks, it's a really GOOD plan to speak a language they understand" (duh).
SO if a person speaks in a "tongue" in a meeting that's NOT understood by those present, then an INTERPRETATION is required in order for anything to be communicated. Simple as that. IF a BUNCH of folks blab in "tongues" all the time, ain't NOTHING gonna get taught.
I'd like to witness someone speaking and have two people who don't know each other or the speaker, and see if they interpret the same message. Not because I'm pessimistic, but to test that particular speaker to determine if it's true in his/her case.
And such cases have been reported, in some cases where one person understood the tongue, and confirmed the "interpretation" of the other. Naturally "reports" like this tend to be regarded as "Folklore" and dismissed.
THE PROBLEM IS:
One can't "Deliver a message in a tongue" unless he's enabled (burdened) to by the Holy Spirit, and by the same token one can't "Interpret a tongue" unless he's specifically burdened/enabled to do so by the Holy Spirit. SO the Holy Spirit would have to "cooperate" in a demonstration of that type if you wanted it "on cue".
There was a report some years back from Evangel College in Springfield MO where Billy Graham was addressing the student body, and truncated the last point of his address for time's sake. At the end of the address, a "Tongue was spoken", and the interpretation was the gist of his last point. Ive never PERSONALLY witnessed such a thing, so everything I'm aware of is second hand.
Paranthetically:
Cut #1 seems pretty standard for "pentecostal tongues" as I've heard them over the years. If I were to speak in a tongue for the camera, it'd be similar - different speech - but no "emotionalism" or ecstatic foolishness - just speak it like it comes.
I Found #2 "Terminally Creepy".
