BBrriigghhaamm YYoouunngg UUnniivveerrssiittyy BBYYUU SScchhoollaarrssAArrcchhiivvee Theses and Dissertations 1988 PPrroonnoouunnss ooff AAddddrreessss iinn tthhee BBooookk ooff MMoorrmmoonn Lyle L. Fletcher Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Linguistics Commons, and the Mormon Studies Commons BBYYUU SScchhoollaarrssAArrcchhiivvee CCiittaattiioonn Fletcher, Lyle L., "Pronouns of Address in the Book of Mormon" (1988). Theses and Dissertations. 4689. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4689 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. N 2qio2 535 F pronouns of address in the of mormon book thesis A presented to the english department of university brigham young partial fulfillment in of the requirements for the degree arts master of by llyyilee fletcher L april 1988 its this thesis llyyilee fletcher is accepted in by L present form by the department of english of brigham young university as satisfying the thesis requirement for the arts degree of master of el grant Bbboooosssxsww4weeeelllll7ll ccoommitattbbebbe chairman 7 M mmi rrdayy1.1 aall rcfyal J askkk6aouusseenn committee member s obert L robert Mmaitttthheewwss committee member fi fn an ewa graduate date wwdittlleerr coordinator S C ii acknowledgments first I wish of all to thank father in heaven for my 1 sustaining throughout this thesis secondly me my work on I wish to thank parents for bringing up in the 1 my me 11 lordand nurture and admonition of the lord and blessed be the name bif it wif of god ffoorr enos 11 I also wish to thank wifee my 1 1 1 my faithful support for her tender love and special appreciation is historical those in the due latterday jesus christ latter department of the church of of day saints for allowing access to the original manuscript of me the book of mormon and ffoorr giving me permission to quote appreciation is special therefrom also those in due library collections of the harold lee of brigham young B university for allowing access to the microfilm of the me printers manuscript I also wish to thank the many professors and associates 1 to this thesis have contributed in meaningful ways who grant special to royal J thanks go boswell skousen M porter robert J paul larry richard matthews thomas R C geary ellsworth steven for walker and edward G C A extra going the mile in behalf my iii TABLE OF CONTENTS chapter definition of the research problem 1 1 0 0 0 chapter use variation language and 28 2 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 person chapter pronoun usage in english second 3 fifteenth century through the 41 a 0 0 0 0 8 16 1 chapter person pronoun usage in english second 4 after fifteenth century the 85 0 9 9 0 0 0 10 person pronoun usage chapter in second 5 the english bible 166 0 0 0 0 0 0 person pronoun usage chapter in second 6 joseph smiths day 194 0 0 0 0 0 0 D chapter brief history of the book of mormon 7 A with regard to texts editions and 233 0 0 0 person pronoun usage chapter second in 8 the book of mormon 263 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 cited works 306 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 shifting appendix pronominal examples of 1 in the excluding nephi book of mormon 323 1 iv CHAPTER ONE definition OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM I introduction 1 moroni exhorts those who read the book of mormon behold I would exhort you that when ye shall read 1 it if these things in god that ye be wisdom should read that ye them would remember how merciful the lord hath been unto the children of until the creation of even the men from adam down time that ye shall receive these things and it ponder in your hearts moro 103 all of book mormon citations are the edition unless from 1981 otherwise noted one purpose of the book of mormon is to show unto the great things remnant of the house of israel the lord how hath for their fathers that they the done and may know title covenants of the lord page emphasis 1830 ed added this is one way in which the promises made to the fathers can be planted in the hearts of the children dda&c c great 22 JSH 139 the things the lord hath JS done H 1 ne 711 alma 6250 ether 630 772277f 102 are another 6 30 evidence that the eternal purposes of the lord shall roll on morm 822 and that his covenant with abraham is sure ne 1518 ne 2914 ne 2200225527 of the of book 1 2 3 27 2 it it truly is mormon can be said and behold the hand of it 88 the lord which hath done morm the magnalia christ great christ cchhrriissttil americana or the works of in title america is not only the of cotton mathers history it title of colonial america could also be another for the it book of mormon thtthhl iiI1 ss is the LORDs doing is mmmaaarrrvvceeellllllooouuusss in our eyes 11823 Ps itself is the book of mormon a marvelous work and a ne 2255117718 2726 see also ne 147 wonder 2 18 1 testified speaking of the book of mmoorrmmoonnt joseph smith that gift he translated the record by the and power of god history fuhjiigsstttoogrrryyy comprehensive fHi of the church 674 4537 of oliver the church 1127 cowdery david whitmer and ie martin harris testified also that they and we know the gold plates which they saw have been translated by the gift it power of god for his voice hath declared unto and surety is true us wherefore we know of a that the work the testimony of three witnesses the lord himself declared and joseph smith has translated the book of part mormon even that which I have commanded him and as 1 it your lord your god liveth is true 176 and dda&c c and we are accountable for these testimonies 555520 moroni dda&c c 20 tells ghost us that by the power of the holy we may know the truth of all things moro 105 therefore what greater witness can than god 623 we have from dda&c c the vision of all things isa 2911 as isaiah 3 prophesied has been delivered unto a ne 279 man 2 and behold the book shall be sealed and in the book shall be a revelation from god from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof ne 277 the in this me words book 2 all things reveal from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof ne 2710 but the things which are sealed 2 shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people ne 278 for the book 2 shall be sealed by the power of god and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the lord ne 2710 10 2 2 7 mormon the compiler of this record tells us that only part christs lesser translated a of words have been and try sent forth unto this generation to their faith ne 3 22668811 the learned wise will not receive however and 11 gods even this lesser portion of words the lord said As therefore I will proceed to do a marvelous work and a 1 their wonder for the wisdom of wise and learned shall perish and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid ne this 2726 in day a an offender when men make man 2 for a word the lord says concerning the book of mormon and the words thereof the learned shall not read them for they have rejected them and I am able to do mine own 1 work ne 2277119929 thus the wise and the 29 32 2 learned and they that are rich are puffed up because who their learning their their of riches yea and wisdom and 4 they are they desppiisseetthh save they shall cast he des and whom things these away and consider themselves fools before god and come down in the depths of humility he will not open unto ne 942 them me 2 truly the lord through his simple has worked weak and jr unlearned servant joseph smith to accomplish his great and marvelous work 1 cor 1122552277 2 ne 227711442200 ilg 61 dac 111199f he also has worked through many other 2233f 6 1 their prophets as nephi such moroni and acknowledge who weakness in writing ne 3333114 ether 1122223337 11 37 2 4 the things the lord has reserved to come forth in this generation were entrusted to joseph smith the lord and said to this generation shall through him have word my you 510 dda&c c thus the lord is willing to give to men commandments his servants in their weakness after the manner of their language that they might to understanding 124 come dda&c c 1241 see also ne 313 alma 298 dac 9011 the book off 2 d&c 0 literary not masterpiece according to mormon may be a the it wwoorrldlds s standards but is the word of god couched in the language of joseph smith fools but they shall mock mourn morm 820 for as isaiah says wo unto the wvwiiissseee in their own eyes and prudent in ilrree their sight fire therefore as the f own ddeevvoouurreetthh the stubble and the flame ccoonnssuummeetthh the chaff their root shall rottenness their be and 5 blossoms shall go up as dust because they have cast away the law of the lord of hosts and despised the of the holy one of israel word 2 ne 1521 24 though the word of god which has come through joseph its smith is perhaps not without inconsistencies in terms of spelling punctuation grammar these are not the and important things these are merely conventions of language which change from time to time moroni cautions us not imperfection condemn me because of mine but rather give thanks unto god that hath manifest unto he made you our imperfections that ye may learn to be more wise to than we have been morm 931 the lesson be learned from this is that the lord can work his marvelous work and a even through the the simple the wonder weak and error are unlearned though evident in human weakness and title itself the book of mormon the page proclaims and it if now there be fault be the mistake of men wherefore condemn not the things of that ye may be found spotless GOD at seat the judgment of 1830 ed see also morm CHRIST 817 it since the book of mormon proclaims to the world that is the word of god his hand should be evident therein to the unbelieving his will imperceptible to hand be but those it who have eyes to see will be evident everywhere cotton tells mather us that