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The Case of Plural Was in the Earliest Text

TitleThe Case of Plural Was in the Earliest Text
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsCarmack, Stanford
JournalInterpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture
Volume18
Pagination109-137
KeywordsCritical Text; Early Modern English; Text
Abstract

Because it is primarily an Early Modern English text (in terms of its English language), the earliest text of the Book of Mormon understandably employs plural was — for example, “the words which was delivered” (Alma 5:11). It does so in a way that is substantially similar to what is found in many writings of the Early Modern period ­— that is, it manifests the syntactic usage, variation, and differential rates typical of that era.

URLhttps://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/the-case-of-plural-was-in-the-earliest-text/