Category: Translation
What Did Joseph Know About the Structure of the Book of Mormon, and When Did He Know It?
The details of the translation process that gave us the Book of Mormon offer a variety of mysteries and challenges, but the greatest challenge is for theories based on Joseph…
Aural and Oral: The Raw Book of Mormon as Dictated By Joseph Smith
When I first examined the published text from the Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, I was embarrassed at all the non-standard grammar. But now I find it to…
Did Joseph Use a Bible?
In discussions of Book of Mormon translation, many assume that Joseph must have turned to the KJV when quoting relevant passages. However, multiple witnesses of the translation process report that…
An Embarrassment . . . of Riches in the Book of Mormon Text–And a Surprise from “Them Days”
When I first opened up my newly purchased blue-bound volume from Royal Skousen containing the details of the surviving original text of the Book of Mormon, I was immediately disappointed….
Update on Early Modern English in the Book of Mormon: One Potential Test to Identify the Possible Influence of New England Dialect on the Dictated Text
Executive Summary: I remain impressed with the detailed, data-rich work of Carmack and Skousen regarding Early Modern English (EModE) influence in the original text of the Book of Mormon. However,…
The Increasingly Strange Text of the Book of Mormon
Stanford Carmack’s series of four articles at the Mormon Interpreter provide a large body of detailed data pointing to something strange, increasingly strange, in the Book of Mormon: the grammatical…
New Podcast with Stanford Carmack on Textual Analysis of the Book of Mormon
Over on the FAIRMormon blog, you can listen to “Syntax and Book of Mormon Authorship – Interview with Stanford Carmack.” This new podcast lets Stanford share more about the strong…
The Book of Mormon’s Command Performance: The Late War and Other KJV-Style Texts Don’t Help
Stanford Carmack’s discussion of the unusual grammar in the original Book of Mormon text creates a case that the unusual English of the original Book of Mormon cannot be readily…
Joseph Smith’s Hick Language in the Original Book of Mormon Manuscript: Divine Irony?
Executive Summary Skousen’s study of the first Book of Mormon manuscripts found evidence that the awkward grammar often displayed Semitic influence or, in some cases, came from Early Modern English,…
LDS.org Offers “Gospel Topics” Section on the Historicity and Translation of the Book of Abraham
Among the growing body of helpful and carefully researched topics discussed in the “Gospel Topics” section of the LDS.org website, the Church has recently provided a statement that addresses some…
