And not only are these words, phrases, and expressions in the text largely from early modern english, but a good many of them ceased to exist in english prior to. What is the original language of the book of mormon. The book of mormon has been translated in its entirety into 97 languages. The book of mormons old testament portion bmot quotes heavily from the new testament of the bible. A complete transcript of the extant parts of the original manuscript of the book of mormon has been published as royal skousen, ed.
Book of mormon written in modernday english grace for grace. Approximately fivesixth of the 1830 first edition of the book of mormon was typeset from the printers manuscript. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Over the years, from its initial publication in 1830 to the present day, the book of mormons original nonstandard language has been interpreted as representing. So yes, much of the awkward grammar of the original book of mormon appears to reflect language that is not typical of the kjv, being earlier than the kjv era and earlier than josephs dialect, though remnants persisted in his day and in ours as nonstandard forms in modern grammar. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of mormon. Oct 31, 2018 royal skousen and stanford carmack present the nature of the original language of the book of mormon in the hinckley center at byu. According to most adherents of the latter day saint movement, the book of mormon is a 19thcentury translation of a record of ancient inhabitants of the american continent, which was written in a script which the book refers to as reformed egyptian. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, brigham young university, 2001. Royal skousen on the nature of the original language of.
The earliest text and his printers manuscript volumes, this book is an indispensable resource for studies of the book of. Most adherents to the latter day saint movement view the book as a work of inspired scripture. The very surprising language of the book of mormon. For example, in the original text a good many occurrences of the phrase and it came to pass are found in inappropriate contexts. Including the particular language and idiosynchrasies of the kjv that differ from the original language of the bible. In what circumstances was the book of mormon written. Common questions about the book of mormon, ensign, oct. In that first work, royal skousen with the collaboration of stanford carmack, discussed all the editing that the book of mormon has undergone, in its manuscript. For information about the more recent discovery of several fragments of the original manuscript. Why did joseph smith translate the book of mormon into jacobean english, not in use in 1830. One could foresee a modern english version of that text, and the rlds community of christ already tried that in their 1966 edition a failure, but the real thing has only been approached in our foreign language editions. Stanford carmack discussed their continued research on the original language of the book of mormon provo, utah september 25, 2018anyone familiar with the book of mormon knows that its language can feel idiosyncratic. The nature of the original language of the book of mormon royal. The manuscript pages contain the words written by josephs.
The original book of mormon transcript the book of mormon. The most common belief of adherents is that promoted by joseph smith, who said he translated ancient golden plates inscribed by prophets. Royal skousen is editor of the book of mormon critical text project and professor of linguistics and english language at brigham young university. Book of mormon manuscript excerpt, circa june 1829 1 nephi 2. Book of mormon language the encyclopedia of mormonism. The book of mormon was written in the circumstance of highly contentious 19thcentury american sectarian christian controversy and division, and christian re. Because of the presence of text that seems to fit hebraic structure in many places, and so forth. Royal skousen has a new volume in his book of mormon critical text series. Mar 06, 2019 the book of mormon text contains logical impossibilities. An examination of the original manuscript reveals that joseph smith, as he translated, apparently never went back to cross out, revise, or modify.
Royal skousen on the nature of the original language of the. And more importantly, what do book of mormon writers say themselves about the languages they used. Aug 21, 2014 and this, for my present purposes, is the crucial point. Sep 12, 2018 the nature of the original language nol continues the analysis of the book of mormon text that was begun in grammatical variation gv, parts 1 and 2 of volume 3 of the critical text, published in 2016.
It is a record of gods dealings with ancient inhabitants of the americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel. The book of mormon has a number of original and distinctive doctrinal discussions on subjects such as the fall of adam and eve, the nature of the christian atonement, eschatology, redemption from physical and spiritual death, and the organization of the latterday church. There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon. The book of mormon uses the term reformed egyptian in only one verse, mormon 9. The original text of the book of mormon contains complex hebrewlike constructions that have been subsequently removed from the text because of their nonenglish character. In that first work, royal skousen with the collaboration of stanford carmack, discussed all the editing that the book of mormon has undergone, in its manuscript transmission and in the. For the latest detailed report, see royal skousen, towards a critical edition of the book of mormon, byu studies 30 winter 1990.
Royal skousen journal of book of mormon studies 31 1994. As i got near the end of completing the six books of volume 4, i discovered some potential problems with the project as originally conceived. In addition to joseph smith, the lord provided for eleven others to see the gold plates for themselves and to be special witnesses of the truth and divinity of the. I concur with the assessment of john tvedtnes, who points out that 1 an english translation should reflect the language of the translator rather than the original. It seems that if nephi had copied them from the plates of brass in hebrew onto his own record and that if joseph smith had then received the english translation by the gift and power of god, the isaiah passages would read more like the 1830 book of mormon and less. The nature of the original language of the book of mormon royal skousen, stanford carmack 92518. The language of the original text of the book of mormon. The lecture included additional commentary by stanford. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of. Nature of the original language of the bk of mormon general. Initial work concentrated on studying the two manuscripts of the book of mormon, namely the original manuscript and the printers manuscript. Because it was a revelation from god to joseph smith.
The earliest text and his printers manuscript volumes, this book is an indispensable resource for studies of the book of mormon that rely on an accurate and original text. Cohosted by byu studies and the interpreter foundation with. Miraculous origins theories generally accept joseph smiths own account, that he translated an ancient record compiled and abridged by mormon, a precolumbian resident of the western hemisphere. Doctrine and covenants, section 1, says that revelations were given in the language so that there would be understanding. The original languages of the book of mormon book of. Isaiah in the book of mormon religious studies center.
In that first work, royal skousen with the collaboration of stanford carmack, discussed all the editing that the book of mormon has. On tuesday, september 25, 2018, royal skousen spoke at byu on the justpublished the nature of the original language, parts 3 and 4 of volume 3 of the book of mormon critical text project. Words and names in the language of an original text provide a window, sometimes a very small window, but a window nevertheless, into the culture and ideas of the native speakers. Sep 07, 2018 entitled the nature of the original language, it explores the vocabulary, grammar, and syntax of the earliest text and reinforces the idea that the book of mormon was revealed as a tightlycontrolled translation in early modern english rather than the vernacular of joseph smiths day. John gilbert, compositor for the 1830 edition of the book of mormon, was apparently the first to. This is possible because all names in antiquity had a meaning. Royal skousen journal of book of mormon studies 31. The nature of the original language nol continues the analysis of the book of mormon text that was begun in grammatical variation gv, parts 1 and 2 of volume 3 of the critical text, published in 2016. When joseph smith translated the book of mormon in the spring of 1829, he dictated the text line by line. Variations of this theory only include that the text is a divinely inspired narrative, regardless of its. There are at least185 quotations and 2,500 unique vocabulary words from the new testame.
Skousens decades if painstaking effort have provided a whole new landscape for critical study of the book of mormon. Celebrating two new books in the book of mormon critical. Typographical facsimile of the extant text provo, ut. Free shipping on many items browse your favorite brands.
The nature of the original language of the book of mormon parts 3. These tables show all the versions of the book of mormon that have been translated. There are differing views on the origin of the book of mormon. The plates from which the book of mormon was translated were delivered back to the angel from whom they came. By far the majority of changes between the 1830 and subsequent versions of the book of mormon are spelling or grammar corrections. The language of the book of mormon exhibits features typical of a translation from an ancient near eastern text as well as the stamp of nineteenthcentury english and the style of the king james version kjv of the bible. The original language of the book of mormon is stated to be egyptian, but written in a script that the book of mormon writers referred to as the reformed egyptian script.
The languages in turn can help inform us about the culture and customs of people who spoke the languages. The original english book of mormon is, he says, in large part an early modern english text, even reaching back in time to the transition. Robertss study which was published posthumously in 1985 as studies of the book of mormon. Whether from friends, family, the truly interested, or the antagonistic, we all get asked questions about the book of mormon. American sign language asl bahasa indonesia bahasa malaysia bislama cebuano cesky dansk deutsch ede yoruba eesti efik, english. The day of casual claims about the language of the book of mormon is over, especially those general statements that the language is a crude imitation of the king james style, intermixed with joseph smiths dialectal usage. The critical text of the book of mormon book of mormon. The book of mormon text contains logical impossibilities. Egyptian versus contemporary angloamerican english language origins. The book of mormon original broadway cast recording. Aug 10, 2014 so yes, much of the awkward grammar of the original book of mormon appears to reflect language that is not typical of the kjv, being earlier than the kjv era and earlier than josephs dialect, though remnants persisted in his day and in ours as nonstandard forms in modern grammar. The original language of the book of mormon is stated to be egyptian, but written in a script that the book of mormon writers referred to as the reformed egyptian. Manuals gospel topics essays previous next previous next.
Entitled the nature of the original language, it explores the vocabulary, grammar, and syntax of the earliest text and reinforces the idea that the book of mormon was revealed as a tightlycontrolled translation in early modern english rather than the vernacular of joseph smiths day. There is no question that the isaiah passages in the book of mormon are in the language of the king james translation of the bible. Joseph smiths hick language in the original book of. Analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon part two. When i see the word translate, it means to me that a scribe read a manuscript written in one language e. The other onesixth was typeset from the original manuscript.
The original english book of mormon is, he says, in large part an early modern english text, even reaching back in time to the transition period from late middle english into early modern english. One of the problems was in getting people, even some academic people. In a launch event celebrating the publication of parts 3 and 4 of volume 3 of the book of mormon critical text project, professor royal skousen and fellow researcher dr. The nature of the original language of the book of mormon. The lecture included additional commentary by stanford carmack, skousens collaborator in authoring and researching these two new books. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of errors.
Its important and helpful to bear in mind, carmack writes, that the original book of mormon language is, generally speaking, only nonstandard from our standpoint, centuries after the elizabethan era, which appears to be the epicenter of the books syntax. And this, for my present purposes, is the crucial point. Admittedly, we dont know exactly what he means, but obviously, lehi and his family would have spoken hebrew, the language of the jews. Celebrating two new books in the book of mormon critical text.
Several important questions derive from this work on the nature of the original language of the book of mormon. The language of the original text of the book of mormon byu. Display of the book of mormon translated into different languages. Nature of the original language of the bk of mormon. What has rarely been addressed is that for much of his language and narrative. In this respect, the proper names in the book of mormon form a unique and useful tool for the study of the peoples of that book and make possible new insights for understanding the book of mormon. The original languages of the book of mormon book of mormon. Can you study the book of mormon in the original language. Nature of the original language of the book of mormon royal.
The book of mormons old testament portion bmot quotes heavily from the new. In summary, the real task for those wishing to claim that the nonbiblical language of the book of mormon is joseph smiths english will be to concentrate on the 80 or so examples of archaic language that have thus far been identified in the original text of the book of mormon, that is, the word uses, phrases, expressions, and grammatical forms that appear from all the evidence to have died out sometime between the mid1500s and the mid1700s. Misspelled words in the book of mormon the original edition of the book of mormon contained dozens of misspelled words, documenting that the writer had a very poor knowledge of the english language. On tuesday, september 25, 2018, royal skousen spoke at byu on the justpublished the nature of the original language, parts 3 and 4 of volume 3 of the book of mormon critical text project, sponsored by byu studies and the interpreter foundation. Our first clue comes very early in the record, when nephi tells us that his record is in the language of his father. We suppose the angel, moroni, son of mormon, has them in his control to this day. The current critical text project of the book of mormon began in 1988 with major support from farms. Also, if it be contended that the language of the book of mormon, word for word, and letter for letter, was given to the prophet by direct inspiration of god, acting upon his mind, then again god is made responsible for the language errors in the book of mormon a thing unthinkable. When it was given to him, the lord gave it to him in his own language. He then goes on to tell us that it consists of the learning of the jews and the language of the egyptians 1 ne 1.
Can you study the book of mormon in the original language of. Portions of the book have been translated into another 20 languages. Oct 29, 2018 on tuesday, september 25, 2018, royal skousen spoke at byu on the justpublished the nature of the original language, parts 3 and 4 of volume 3 of the book of mormon critical text project. Skousen already published the best and most accurate edition of the bofm the book of mormon. One challenge in performing a linguistic analysis of the book of mormon is that no original text is available for analysis. As early as 1831, eber howe, in his antimormon book mormonism unvailed. The original book of mormon transcript the book of. The original text betrays its new england origin in many ways, from inconsistent spelling to incorrect use of tenses and number, as well as incorrect usage of jacobean english. Jan 12, 2009 the plates from which the book of mormon was translated were delivered back to the angel from whom they came.
The original language of the book of mormon is in some respects in joseph smiths dialect. Nature of the original language of the book of mormon. The original text of the book of mormon contains complex hebrewlike constructions that have been subsequently removed from the text because of their non. The writers of the original record called their language reformed egyptian. Royal skousen and stanford carmack present the nature of the original language of the book of mormon in the hinckley center at byu. Roberts wrote, there is no good reason why we should not have just as good a book of mormon in the english language as they now have in the french, the german, the swedish and the danish, and since the recent revision of it in the hawaiian. Upstate new york dialect, king james english, or hebrew. Sep 17, 2018 the nature of the original language nol continues the analysis of the book of mormon text that was begun in grammatical variation gv, parts 1 and 2 of volume 3 of the critical text, published in 2016.
Slaughter, how we got the book of mormon salt lake city. Seeming errors in grammar and diction, particularly in the earliest manuscripts and first printed edition of the english book of mormon, have. Bunyan also enlarged the original narrative of stephen which. Word for word from the kjv, which didnt exist at the time the book of mormon was supposedly originally being written. Joseph smiths hick language in the original book of mormon. Stanford carmack discussed their continued research on the original language of the book of mormon. Royal skousen my testimony of the book of mormon, scholarly and personal. The same way that god flashed the kjv deuteroisaiah onto smiths magic rock. Entitled the nature of the original language, it explores the. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. The very surprising language of the book of mormon deseret news.