Item Detail
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24588
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2
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0
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English
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Of Two Minds : Language Reform and Millennialism in the Deseret Alphabet
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Stanford, CA
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Stanford University
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Master's thesis
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"The Deseret Alphabet was introduced by the Mormon leadership in the 1850s, soon after the relocation of their religious community from the mid-western and eastern states to the largely unsettled Great Basin. This 'new alphabet' was promulgated in Utah Territory, where it was used intermittently by the growing Mormon community. By the 1880s it had vanished. Yet, the historical evidence clearly shows that it was intended for wide and permanent use. The unique characters of this phonetic alphabet were presented to the people as an improvement and simplification of the existing Roman alphabet. However, adoption was somewhat hesitant, despite Church promotion. The following reproductions show the cover of The First Deseret Book; selected pages from the Book of Mormon, printed in 1869. Indeed, the Deseret Alphabet was strikingly original in appearance. What hopes commanded such an apparently exotic effort from this generally practical pioneer community? What need did the early Mormon leaders seek to meet with their new alphabet, when so many other needs pressed them for attention? Why was the Deseret Alphabet created? Why was it abandoned? Since its brief period of actual use, the Deseret Alphabet has been the subject of persistent curiosity. It is mentioned in historical articles, and has been the subject of occasional academic investigation. The dominant emphasis in both popular and academic presentations is on the role of the Mormon church in sponsoring an orthographic innovation. The unique cultural and educational needs of the early Mormon community are stressed, and the 'novelty' of the characters themselves is highlighted. In al these studies of the Deseret Alphabet, it is seen as a secular project sponsored by a religious organization. It is also seen as an in-house program of the Utah Mormons and their converts. If the broader international language reform movement of the time is acknowledged, any contribution it made to the alphabet is general subordinated to a view which stresses the originality of the Mormon educators, the energy of their fellow co-religionists, and the belief that in this as in other things, the early Mormons broke away from all tradition and struck out for themselves." [Authors introduction]