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#{{ | #{{note|larsen1}}{{BYUS|author=Wayne A. Larsen, Alvin C. Rencher, and Tim Layton|article=Who Wrote the Book of Mormon? An Analysis of Wordprints|vol=20|num=3|date=Spring 1980|start=225|end=51}}[http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=25592&CISOSHOW=23550 *] | ||
#{{note|hilton1}} John L. Hilton, "On Verifying Wordprint Studies: Book of Mormon Authorship," in ''Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins'', edited by Noel B. Reynolds, (Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1997). {{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?book_doc_id=264966}} ''(This is a modified version of the BYU Studies paper in the Further Reading section.)'' | #{{note|hilton1}} John L. Hilton, "On Verifying Wordprint Studies: Book of Mormon Authorship," in ''Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins'', edited by Noel B. Reynolds, (Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1997). {{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?book_doc_id=264966}} ''(This is a modified version of the BYU Studies paper in the Further Reading section.)'' | ||
#{{note|echoes1}}{{Echoes|author=Noel B. Reynolds|article=Old Wine In Old Bottles|start=132|end=135}} | #{{note|echoes1}}{{Echoes|author=Noel B. Reynolds|article=Old Wine In Old Bottles|start=132|end=135}} |
This page is based on an answer to a question submitted to the FAIR web site, or a frequently asked question.
This article is a draft. FairMormon editors are currently editing it. We welcome your suggestions on improving the content.
What are wordprints? What do they have to do with the Book of Mormon?
Wordprinting, or "stylometry" as it is more commonly known, is the science of measuring literary style. The main assumption underlying stylometry is that an author has aspects of literary style that may be unconsciously used, and can be used to identify their work. Stylometrists analyze literature using statistics, math formulas and artificial intelligence to determine the "style" of an author's writing.
Because authors may write on a variety of topics, the vocabulary they use may vary considerably. Researchers often attempt to use "non-contextual words" in their analyses to avoid this problem: patterns in the use of these words (e.g. such as: and, if, the, etc.) will be less influenced by a change in subject matter.
The initial Book of Mormon wordprint studies by were carried out by Larsen, Rencher, and Layton.[1] They compared twenty-four Book of Mormon authors (each having at least 1,000 words) to each other, and concluded on the basis of three separate statistical tests that these authors were distinct from each other and Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, Jr., and Solomon Spaulding.
These efforts were critiqued in Ernest H. Taves, Trouble Enough: Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon (Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1984), 225-60. John Hilton characterized Teves' review as "fundamentally flawed," and noted that his effort "therefore did nothing to add to or detract from their work." [note]
An LDS author considered some of Larsen, Rencher, and Layton's work in D. James Croft, "Book of Mormon 'Wordprints' Reexamined," Sunstone 6 (March-April 1981): 15-21. Croft pointed out some flaws in their assumptions, and was cautious about whether wordprint evidence should be accepted or rejected as it then stood.
A more sophisticated approach was taken by John Hilton and non-LDS colleagues at Berkeley.[2] The "Berkeley Group's" method relied on non-contextual word patterns, rather than just individual words. This more conservative method was designed from the ground up, and required works of at least 5,000 words.
The Berkeley Group first used a variety of control tests with non-disputed authors (e.g. works by Mark Twain, and translated works from German) to:
The Berkeley Group's methods have since passed peer review, and were used to identify previously unknown writings written by Thomas Hobbes.[3]
The Berkeley Group compared Book of Mormon texts written by Nephi and Alma with themselves, with each other, and with work by Joseph, Oliver, and Solomon Spaulding. Each comparison is assessed based upon the number of "rejections" provided by the model. The greater the number of rejections, the greater the chance that the two texts were not written by the same author.
As John Hilton put the matter, it is "statistically indefensible" to claim that Joseph, Oliver, or Solomon Spaulding wrote the Book of Mormon.[4] The Book of Mormon also contains work written by more than one author. Critics must therefore identify multiple authors for the text, and explain how Joseph then produced it.
Template:BofM authorship theories
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