Author Topic: The Mormon dialect in writing (Read 6790 times)

Jonathon · « **on:** March 10, 2005, 10:35:09 AM »

For some time now I've wondered about the Mormon dialect (which is not the same as the Utah dialect). It seems that Mormons are often very prone to use scriptural/Sacrament meeting talk vocabulary in writing, especially formal writing.

For example, at the student journal I work on (a journal about the English language), we received a submission that ended almost like a sacrament meeting talk. And I've noticed that lots of people love to use the word "liken" whenever possible (especially if it's followed by "unto").

Does this last one sound weird to anyone else? I'd much rather see "compare to" than "liken unto." Is it just me, or does it sound like the author is trying to wax scriptural?

Maybe one of these days I'll get around to doing a study on this so I can know if it's a real phenomenon.

Porter · « **Reply #1 on:** March 10, 2005, 10:38:12 AM »

I think it is very common for mormons to start using scriptural language when we get formal.

Jonathon · « **Reply #2 on:** March 10, 2005, 10:41:19 AM »

But is the phrase "liken to" or "liken unto" at all common outside of Mormondom? It strikes me as a Mormon thing, but my perspective may be skewed.

Porter · « **Reply #3 on:** March 10, 2005, 10:45:06 AM »

It sounds pretty Mormony, but I often can't remember if something is from the Book of Mormon or from the Bible. For instance, while I know this phrase is in the BOM, I give it a 40% chance of being in the Bible.

I think this is pretty common.

Jonathon · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2005, 10:52:21 AM »

According to a search on lds.org, it shows up four times in the Old Testament, five times in the New Testament, six times in the Book of Mormon, and five times in the D&C. But my question wasn't really whether it occurred outside the Book of Mormon, but whether anyone but Mormons use that phrase. That is, does anyone today outside the Mormon community use it?

Porter · « **Reply #5 on:** March 10, 2005, 10:53:20 AM »

So your question is "Do Mormons sound like Mormons?"?

edit: nevermind. I see what you are saying. And the answer from me is "It does sound Mormony, but I'm not positive."

Jonathon · « **Reply #6 on:** March 10, 2005, 11:00:17 AM »

Hmm. I don't think I'm being very clear. Let me back up a bit.

Right now I'm editing a book that will be used a textbook here at BYU. It's (theoretically) about Latter-day Saint perspectives on world history, so it definitely has a religious flavor to it. However, it should still sound like a scholarly work, not a sacrament meeting talk.

The phrase "like unto" strikes me as something that Mormons use in talks and whatnot when they're trying to sound formal (that is, they switch into quasi-scriptural mode), but it feels out of place and a little bit silly and stilted in a textbook. Is this just my own personal feeling, or does it seem to have merit?

Porter · « **Reply #7 on:** March 10, 2005, 11:02:36 AM »

I agree with that feeling.

Jonathon · « **Reply #8 on:** March 10, 2005, 11:08:30 AM »

Okay, thanks.

I seem to remember having a conversation like this with someone before. My friend works in the writing center on campus, so he reads lots and lots of papers. We concluded that whenever Mormons try to sound formal, they end up sounding like they're bearing their testimony. We talked about studying the frequency of religious language in Mormon academic writing, but of course we never did anything about it.

Oh, and I just found another one: "inasmuch as." That one drives me nuts, especially when it's just used to mean "because" or "since."

rivka · « **Reply #9 on:** March 10, 2005, 12:16:33 PM »

I'd say it sounds awkward . . . and I'm the one who had someone point out to me recently that I'm the only person they know who uses the word "hence" in ordinary conversation.

Jonathon · « **Reply #10 on:** March 10, 2005, 06:01:44 PM »

Thanks. That's validating.

Ryuko · « **Reply #11 on:** March 10, 2005, 10:01:10 PM »

I agree, it sounds a little awkward. I've never heard it used in a serious sense. Let's see... I have heard inasmuchas, but I'm in college, so whatev.

Jaiden · « **Reply #12 on:** March 12, 2005, 06:12:54 PM »

I know Roman Catholics who use that phrasing (especially Priests).

sarcasticmuppet · « **Reply #13 on:** March 12, 2005, 09:34:50 PM »

what about "whithersoever". I'm pretty sure that's exclusively mormon, when it's used at all.

Porter · « **Reply #14 on:** March 12, 2005, 10:10:21 PM »

I've never heard that one before

Jonathon · « **Reply #15 on:** March 13, 2005, 11:41:32 AM »

I'm sure this sort of scriptural or religious language isn't exclusively a Mormon thing, but in my experience as an editor, I've noticed that a lot of Mormons use it in formal settings like academic papers.

And I've gotta go with Porter on that one. I don't think I've heard or seen "whithersoever" used outside of the scriptures (or other early modern English writings).

sarcasticmuppet · « **Reply #16 on:** March 13, 2005, 04:15:02 PM »

I say it once in a while because I like the sound of "whithersoever".

Nathan Novak · « **Reply #17 on:** March 13, 2005, 04:42:40 PM »

I tried to explain to a 6 year old once that listening to jamie was a logical fallacy. The kid just stared at me and went back to his cartoons. This just felt like the right place to share said story.

sarcasticmuppet · « **Reply #18 on:** March 14, 2005, 07:25:53 AM »

Actually, I use "withersoever" almost never. My most common thing is to add the suffix "-eth" to everything. Ex. "That stinketh."

Porter · « **Reply #19 on:** March 14, 2005, 07:27:08 AM »

My favorite is [Homer]"Doheth!"[/Homer].

Taalcon · « **Reply #20 on:** March 29, 2005, 10:04:32 AM »

The use of "even" to mean "Especially". You hear that in every other Conference Talk.

Jonathon · « **Reply #21 on:** March 29, 2005, 10:24:25 AM »

Ooh! That's a good one. Especially if they use it in the complete statement "Even so."

UofUlawguy · « **Reply #22 on:** May 26, 2005, 05:29:39 PM »

Just wanted to point out that "whithersoever" is not just for Mormons. It appears, more than once, in one of the songs from the musical Man of La Mancha. Cervantes/Don Quijote sings:

And the wild winds of fortune will carry me onward
Whithersoever they blow.
Whithersoever they blow, onward to glory I go.

Jonathon · « **Reply #23 on:** May 26, 2005, 08:47:09 PM »

Yeah, but that's archaic writing, and furthermore, it's a translation. I imagine that few people use it today, even in formal contexts.

Primal Curve · « **Reply #24 on:** May 26, 2005, 09:26:29 PM »

I think a lot of the kind of phrasing you're referring to comes from the King James Version of the Bible. If memory serves, the Mormon Bible is the KJV with some, uh, "revelations" in it.

Anyways, I've heard that kind of terminology used in non-Mormon settings. It's especially common in Protestant denomonations that believe the KJV to be the only inspired translation of the Bible. The most notable being Baptists.

I don't see any of you guys going to Baptist church services so I can understand why you think it is exclusively Mormon.

I have also heard the language in Catholic churches.