The data represented in the graphic are the 239 book of mormon chapters plotted. Archer, comparative power of three authorattribution techniques for differentiating authors, jbms, spring 1997, 4763. Stylometrists analyze literature using statistics, math formulas and artificial intelligence to determine the style of an authors writing. See especially the cited sources at the end of the page. Dec 12, 2017 see hilton, on verifying wordprint studies, in book of mormon authorship revisited, 236. Authorship was published in 1982 reprinted in 1996 and served as a kind of book of mor mon research digest. Book of mormon wordprint or word pattern studies parent page. Does joseph smiths role as translator obfuscate patterns unique to ancient authors. Book of mormon authorship in book of mormon authorship revisited. Wordprint studies are one tool used in author attribution research, but do authors use specific. The 15 essays in book of mormon authorship revisited present the latest research by lds scholars on the question in an effort to demonstrate that the weight of. Part 3 presents textual studies that demonstrate the plausibility of the book of mormon as an ancient book, and part 4 updates scholars attempts to understand the ancient cultural and. Tvedtnes, colophons in the book of mormon, in rediscovering the book of mormon, ed.
If joseph smith wrote the book of mormon, we should be able to see his literary style across the entire book. An analysis of wordprints, in book of mormon authorship. A third source is a book recently published by farms entitled book of mormon authorship revisited. The evidence for ancient origins 1997, edited by noel b. Book of mormon scholars digest terry szink the first volume on book of mormot. Book of mormon authorship, byu studies quarterly, 30, no. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. The hilton wordprint study of the book of mormon mormanity. From reading this paragraph, one would think wordprint studies are solidly in favor of mormons.
Fortunately the book of mormon is a nearideal document for such objective wordprint studies, provided the measurement is made correctly. Reynolds, editor, book of mormon authorship revisited provo. If the book of mormon was written by ancient authors, we should be able to see distinct writing styles among each different author. Literary and historical studies of the book of mormon provo, ut. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of mormon. The evidence for ancient origins, edited by noel reynolds. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. Rediscovering the book of mormon, edited by john sorenson and melvin thorne, appeared in 1991. However, the need for scientists and statisticians is unnecessary when making such comparisons with the book of ether. We will examine some of the more important claims put. His team used the earliest available book of mormon manuscripts, rather than the current edited version. However, does anyone have additional thoughts on the 1982 byu study.
This study used a generalized discriminant analysis which is an extension of the linear discriminant analysis used in. Byu studies quarterly volume 30issue 3 article 15 711990 on verifying wordprint studies. An introduction to the relevance of and a methodology for a study of the proper names of the book of mormon. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies byu studies. He worked for years with an interfaith team of colleagues in the east bay area. Comparing phonemic patterns in book of mormon personal names. Although my primary teaching responsibilities during my 27 years at byu have revolved. Comparative power of three authorattribution techniques. A primary takeaway seems to be that wordprint analysis is an imprecise tool for determining authorship of the book of mormon.
Jan 16, 2018 an analysis of wordprints, in book of mormon authorship. Many studies have investigated book of mormon authorship because the book presents itself as a composite work of many ancient authors. A study in colophons, headers, and source indicators, journal of book of mormon studies 22 1993. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies. Scholars from many disciplines at byu and elsewhere are turning their academic expertise to studies of the book of mormon that are expanding our appreciation for this great book and the prophetic messages it contains. It gathered some of the best articles dealing with book of mormon authorship from a variety of fields. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 1997, chapter 9. In another post, there was a challenge to explain away a number of evidences of the book of mormon. While wordprint studies help us recognize that different authors did indeed write the various strands within the book of mormon, they tell us little about what the various authors unique subjects may have been as found in their recorded words. If he copied from someone, we should see that authors writing style likewise. The current study used the same methodology to compare book of mormon names to the three name sources in the original study and found that book of mormon names seem to have more in common with the patterns found in authentic names than they do with those from fictional works. Rencher, and tim layton published the first complete analysis of the book of mormon using the then adolescent tool of computerized stylometry, or wordprinting. In the end, they not only verified but strengthened the 1980 results.
Text clusters of major book of mormon authors and joseph smith. This volume features articles on hebraisms and chiasmus in the book of mormon, as well as articles discussing emendation of the text, naturalistic assumptions, wordprint analyses, variations between copies of the first edition, and more. Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints view the book of mormon as scripture written by ancient prophets, while critics believe that it is a 19thcentury fraud. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies kindle edition. Book of mormon authorship on the web, as printed in byu studies, 30 summer 1990. For a brief overview, check the article on fairwiki, book of mormon wordprint studies. Hilton iii the need for rigorous, legitimate wordprint measurements is obvious in attempting to settle some of the most prominent controversies surrounding the book of mormon. Those who reject joseph smiths claim that he translated the book through divine power assume that he or one of his contemporaries wrote the book. The initial book of mormon wordprint studies were carried out by larsen, rencher, and layton. Pdf online messaging provides a convenient and effective means of fast communication. This was followed in 1992 by reexploring the book of mormon, edited by john welch, and in 1997 by book of mormon authorship revisited. Along with personal communication it is being used by.
There are numerous studies which have shown there are distinct style differences between written and spoken works by the same author. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1998, 7598. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1982, 163. Close scrutiny of the methodology of the byu authorship study reveals several areas which seem vulnerable to criticism. Hilton is adjunct professor of statistics at brigham young university. Issn 10999450 print, 21683123 online abstract book. Comparing book of mormon names with those found in j. Kent brown, the exodus pattern in the book of mormon, in from jerusalem to zarahemla. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies kindle edition by various authors. Hilton describes the young science of wordprinting, which is used to prove or disprove authorship, presenting its history, purposes, and development.
They show that it is statistically indefensible to propose. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. Authorship verification of online messages for forensic. Book of mormon wordprints reexamined a look at the byu. Ive seen tbms reference this study, numerous times, to argue that joseph smith couldnt have written the book of mormon. It is the science of identifying authorship by measuring the words and phrases a person unconsciously uses. The works of tolkien and the book of mormon have been compared in a variety of ways by multiple authors and researchers, but none have looked specifically at the unusual names found within both. Issn 10999450 print, 21683123 online abstract book of. Pdf authorship verification of online messages for forensic. Comparing phonemic patterns in book of mormon personal. Book of mormon authorship reynolds 1997, hilton claims that he has overcome most of crofts objections to the larsenrencher study.
Washburn, the contents, structure, and authorship of the book of mormon. Two methods, one based on rates of use of noncontextual words and one based on wordpattern ratios, measure patterns consistent with multiple authorship in the book of mormon. Fields, a statistical analyst who holds a phd from penn state. Serious study of the book of mormon by latterday saints is flourishing today as never before. Among those evidences was a reference to wordprints. The hilton wordprint study of the book of mormon i was pleased to find a copy of john hiltons article, on verifying wordprint studies. Hilton, on verifying wordprint studies, in book of mormon authorship revisited, 241. However, in dec 2008, oxford journals published a new study called reassessing authorship of the book of mormon using delta and nearest shrunken centroid classification. Are the word patterns of joseph smith, oliver cowdery, or solomon spaulding measurable in the. Conclusion authorship verification of online messages is a current research area.
Notwithstanding much more on the topics discussed in this text have been published since this book, including book of mormon authorship revisited by reynolds from 1997 that build up on many of these issues, this book would make a very good addition to ones lds library. One may naturally wonder, though, if the book of mormons diversity of style is in any way unique or impressive. Can wordprinting show that different sections of the book of mormon were written by different authors. They show that it is statistically indefensible to propose a single author of the manuscript of the book of mormon. Wordprint studies of the book of mormon fairmormon. Reprint foundation for ancient research and mormon studies. The wordprint analysis by wayne larson and alvin rencher questions once again the theory that sidney rigdon or solomon spaulding authored the book of mormon pp. Book of mormon authorship revisited complexity, consistency, ignorance, and probabilities. Book of mormon authorship, in book of mormon authorship revisited. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
To date, the combined data from several valid stylometric studies on the book of mormon have demonstrated that it has multiple, distinct writing styles and that those styles are consistent with the authors designated within the text itself. There are at least three different versions of hiltons on verifying wordprint. Of course, wordprint analysis, while it can measure certain facts objectively, cannot prove the holiness of the book of mormon. This study used a generalized discriminant analysis which is an extension of the linear discriminant analysis used in the larsen study. Ive read a number of the wordprint studies, so i responded to it.
Book of mormon authorship, book of mormon authorship revisited. According to most adherents of the latter day saint movement, the book of mormon is a. If the book of mormon was written by ancient authors, we should be able. Reynolds, lehi as moses, journal of book of mormon studies 9, no. Computer analyses of authorship of the book of mormon have resulted in conflicting results and dueling assertions about which methodologies yield the most reliable analyses. This article is brought to you for free and open access by the all journals at byu scholarsarchive.
This study of this is called analyzing word patterns, wordprinting or stylometry. They compared twentyfour book of mormon authors each having at least 1,000 words to each other, and concluded on the basis of three separate statistical tests that these authors were distinct from each other and oliver cowdery, joseph smith, jr. Pdf reassessing authorship of the book of mormon using delta. Book of mormon authorship the encyclopedia of mormonism. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship wikipedia.
Book of mormon wordprints reexamined a look at the byu study. This chapter is reprinted by permission, with slight alteration for clarification. Mounting evidence for the book of mormon the church of. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies deseret book. Pdf authorship verification of online messages for. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies. While i do not follow all of skousens end conclusions, i believe his analysis. See hilton, on verifying wordprint studies, in book of mormon authorship revisited, 236. The evidence for ancient origins, edited by noel b. Oct 08, 2005 the hilton wordprint study of the book of mormon i was pleased to find a copy of john hiltons article, on verifying wordprint studies.
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