Item Detail
-
30390
-
3
-
6
-
English
-
Comparing Book of Mormon Names with Those Found in J.R.R. Tolkien's Works : An Exploratory Study
-
Interpreter : A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
-
30
-
1
-
Provo, UT
-
The Interpreter Foundation
-
105-124
-
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. Wordprint studies are one tool used in author attribution research, but do authors use specific sounds more than others — consciously or subconsciously — when selecting or inventing names? Some research suggests they may and that their patterns could create a “sound print” or phonoprint. This constitutes a fresh and unusual path of research that deserves more attention. The purpose of this exploratory study was to see if phonoprints surfaced when examining Dwarf, Elf, Hobbit, Man, and other names created by Tolkien and Jaredite, Nephite, Mulekite, and Lamanite names found in the Book of Mormon. Results suggest that Tolkien had a phonoprint he was unable to entirely escape when creating character names, even when he claimed he based them on distinct languages. In contrast, in Book of Mormon names, a single author’s phonoprint did not emerge. Names varied by group in the way one would expect authentic names from different cultures to vary. Although much more research needs to be done to establish the validity and reliability of using phonoprints for author identification, this study opens a door for future research.
-
188 Unexplainable Names : Book of Mormon Names No Fiction Writer Would Choose
Book of Mormon 'Wordprints' Reexamined
Lehi in the Desert; The World of the Jaredites; There Were Jaredites
On Verifying Wordprint Studies : Book of Mormon Authorship
Since Cumorah : The Book of Mormon in the Modern World
The Book of Mormon : The Earliest Text