Changes in Languages from Nephi to Now

Description

We will look at evidence in 3 language families in North America that contain Lehite language infused / mixed into those 3 groups. (210 pages)

Believers and non-believers have both assembled their separate sets of misconceptions about the Book of Mormon. So as truth emerges, everyone gets to be surprised in some way, including the author. Previous thoughts on Book of Mormon language have been tethered to the text. As a linguist, knowledgeable in Egyptian and Semitic languages, and as a leading authority in a relevant Native American language family, the author brings together evidence for an enlightening line of language history from Nephi to Now. His studies in comparative Uto-Aztecan clarify a number of Book of Mormon language matters.

Bio: Brian Stubbs is a linguist (M.A.), a Semitist (PhD, ABD) knowledgeable in Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, and Egyptian, and is an established authority in the Uto-Aztecan Native American language family. He has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals and has published several books, including the favorably reviewed reference work Uto-Aztecan Comparative Vocabulary and Exploring the Explanatory Power of Semitic and Egyptian in Uto-Aztecan (both for linguists) and Changes in Languages from Nephi to Now (for lay-readers). He has also examined most of the other 170 Native American language families and finds a few having similar potential for showing Lehite language infusions.

Abstract: Among the many kinds of evidence for the Book of Mormon, valid Lehite language evidence in Native American languages has been late to materialize, but is now emerging. First we review the established linguistic evidence of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Egyptian in the Uto-Aztecan language family. Then numerous data of similar hints and potential in two eastern United States language families will be considered, though all such Lehite language infusions are heavily mixed with other unrelated languages. The descendant languages answer many Book of Mormon questions. For example, debated for nearly a century, the question of whether the Nephites knew only Hebrew and wrote it in an Egyptian script (most LDS Hebraists’ view) or whether they knew both the Hebrew and Egyptian languages (Hugh Nibley’s view) is clarified in the descendant languages, as well as other issues.