"Setting Gospel Vernacular Straight"

[Scott Lloyd]

So I open my e-mail this morning and find it flooded with messages from people complaining about errors in Mormon vernacular. "What's going on?" I wonder. "Why are these people unloading this stuff on me?"

Then I realize: Mormon Times has just put on its Web site a piece I submitted a couple of years ago, when the publication was brand new. Readers are just now seeing and reacting to it.

If it seems familiar to you, that's because it's an outgrowth of a thread I originated on this board.

[consiglieri]

That is a good primer for Mormons on how to vernacularize.

Though not strictly in this category, one of the song numbers (just kidding) that we sing in Church talks about, "We'll love one another and never dissemble."

When that was sung last week, I asked my 13-year old daughter what "dissemble" meant.

Not surprisingly, she thought it meant to depart the meeting and go our separate ways.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[ttribe]

One to add - how about "Take out your Endowments" vs. "Receive your Endowment"?

[Connolly]

doctor in covenants

[frankenstein]

eye no little things a noy persons like speeling and their's a base is for core wrecking the mist spelled wurds. dough mi o pin un iz that un less eye ams righting a for mall paper than eye am not two worried abouts meye miss steaks.

I do like the list as I make the errors mentioned frequently.

But I spoken to a linguist about pronunciations or words and she stated that the Linguist community accepts regional pronunciations for words as correct.

something that annoys me I hear in Church often is "tah" instead of "to" or "too" i.e. Dear God help us tah......

(also mou-ens, annoys me too, there is a "t" in mountains people)

[Mansquatch]

eye no little things a noy persons like speeling and their's a base is for core wrecking the mist spelled wurds. dough mi o pin un iz that un less eye ams righting a for mall paper than eye am not two worried abouts meye miss steaks.

I do like the list as I make the errors mentioned frequently.

But I spoken to a linguist about pronunciations or words and she stated that the Linguist community accepts regional pronunciations for words as correct.

something that annoys me I hear in Church often is "tah" instead of "to" or "too" i.e. Dear God help us tah......

(also mou-ens, annoys me too, there is a "t" in mountains people)

Amen, amen. Mou-ens and Sa-an. At least when I lived in Texas I could hear about 'Saytin' and there weren't any mountains to hear about.

I must add that it bugs me when someone shares their testimony and ends, "in the name of thy Son..." Were they not speaking to the 'audience' (that's right I did it)? Does someone in the congregation have a son that shares a name with the Savior? A bit nitpicky but, when in Rome.

As for 'Hymn number' I started referring to it as "the page with the number __ at the top" to annoy the Hymn/Page people.

[cinepro]

So I open my e-mail this morning and find it flooded with messages from people complaining about errors in Mormon vernacular. "What's going on?" I wonder. "Why are these people unloading this stuff on me?"

That's a good list of common errors. So what were the people complaining about in the emails? Are you going to do a follow up article?

[mercyngrace]

I always loved when I worked in the Chicago temple, hearing folks from St. Louis say that we Marmans worship the Lard. While I appreciate regionalisms (being from the South, how can I not? ;-) these particular pronunciations always had me biting my lip so that I wouldn't laugh out loud.

Tangentially, I preferred the term Jr. Sunday School to Primary. It is much more readily understood by the Protestants in my region and I would have preferred to keep that as the name of the children's auxiliary.

[zomg]

That's a great article! I'm sure that ruffled a lot of feathers.

To the posters who said "tah" and "take out vs. receive"....I agree. Drives me nuts!

KirKland makes me giggle.

[cinepro]

Tangentially, I preferred the term Jr. Sunday School to Primary. It is much more readily understood by the Protestants in my region and I would have preferred to keep that as the name of the children's auxiliary.

If I remember correctly, there used to be a "Jr. Sunday School" before the block schedule was implemented. We even took the sacrament there (in addition to Sacrament Meeting). Then we went to Primary on Thursday afternoons. When they made the block schedule, "Jr. Sunday School" was dropped and Primary was moved to Sundays.

[Bsix]

Ah...yes...I still remember the day, years ago when Scott corrected me on the correct case for the 'd' in the Church's name.

Six

[mercyngrace]

If I remember correctly, there used to be a "Jr. Sunday School" before the block schedule was implemented. We even took the sacrament there (in addition to Sacrament Meeting). Then we went to Primary on Thursday afternoons. When they made the block schedule, "Jr. Sunday School" was dropped and Primary was moved to Sundays.

That's what happened. We had Jr. Sunday School on Sunday and Primary on a weekday. The change to consolidated services on Sunday eliminated JSS. I always end up describing Primary to non-members by saying "It's like Jr. Sunday School" anyway. My own personal vernacular issue ;-)

[Scott Lloyd]

That's a good list of common errors. So what were the people complaining about in the emails? Are you going to do a follow up article?

I've already pitched it to the powers that be and gotten a positive response.

One of my readers pointed out my improper use of omnipresent in "omnipresent dust bunnies" and said I should have used ever-present instead. She's quite right. Which goes to show that a writer who throws stones needs to accept an occasional shattered window in his glass house. Or something like that.

[Scott Lloyd]

Ah...yes...I still remember the day, years ago when Scott corrected me on the correct case for the 'd' in the Church's name.

Six

Did I do that? Sorry. I think I've become less ****-retentive since then. But then again, maybe not.

[Scott Lloyd]

That's what happened. We had Jr. Sunday School on Sunday and Primary on a weekday. The change to consolidated services on Sunday eliminated JSS. I always end up describing Primary to non-members by saying "It's like Jr. Sunday School" anyway. My own personal vernacular issue ;-)

Interesting factoid: When first inaugurated back in the 1890s by Richard Ballantyne, LDS Sunday School was exclusively for children. It vied with Primary as the Church's organization for instruction of young folks, Sunday School being on the Sabbath and Primary being held during the week. Later, adult Sunday School classes were introduced. These days, as has been pointed out, Sunday School is exclusively for adults and teens, and Primary has been moved to Sundays, becoming a de facto junior Sunday School.

[Bsix]

Did I do that?

LOL...you did. It was over on the old ZLMB.

Needless to say it made an impression.

Six

[sethpayne]

KirKland makes me giggle.

I can't imagine why.

We did build the first Costco in this dispensation, after all.

[wenglund]

We did build the first Costco in this dispensation, after all.

I grew up near Kirkland, WA, where Costco was first headquartered, and because that city name was so familiar to me, I had a ****ens of a time later on not confusing it with Kirtland, OH. Oddly enough, though, it wasn't until the last few years, after moving back to Utah, that I first began shopping at Costco and became aware of the Kirkland brand.

I hope that I didn't cause anyone too much consternation with my mispronounciations.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[Connolly]

Tangentially, I preferred the term Jr. Sunday School to Primary. It is much more readily understood by the Protestants in my region and I would have preferred to keep that as the name of the children's auxiliary.

If I remember correctly, there used to be a "Jr. Sunday School" before the block schedule was implemented. We even took the sacrament there (in addition to Sacrament Meeting). Then we went to Primary on Thursday afternoons. When they made the block schedule, "Jr. Sunday School" was dropped and Primary was moved to Sundays.

The Junior Sunday School was under the direction of the Sunday School Presidency. Keeping it in favor of Primary would have eliminated the Primary presidency. OTOH, the SS President would have actually had something to do besides play hangman every other week.

[hordak]

There is only one Book of Mormon with multiple copies thereof.

Fail.

THE BOOK OF MORMON

CHAPTERS 1-9

THE WORDS OF MORMON.

I see 2 books of Mormon.

[zomg]

I can't imagine why.

Because it makes me think of Star Trek

[nicolasconnault]

Not to mention:

Incorrect: I'd like to thank the priesthood for cleaning up Sister Lloyd's backyard yesterday

Correct: I'd like to thank the members of the Elders Quorum for cleaning up Sister Lloyd's backyard yesterday

Incorrect: The Aaronic priesthood will now bless and pass the sacrament

Correct: The Aaronic priesthood holders will now administer the sacrament

[Lachoneus]

Incorrect: opening, sacrament or closing "song"

Correct: opening, sacrament or closing hymn

Because a hymn is a song, the word hymn may be more specific and may be preferred, but the word song is not "incorrect."

[Scott Lloyd]

Because a hymn is a song, the word hymn may be more specific and may be preferred, but the word song is not "incorrect."

I used correct in the sense of "conforming or adhering to an established standard" (dictionary definition).

I think hymn is preferred for the same reason that congregation is preferred over audience, musical selection over musical number, and service over program. The terminology we use, particularly when speaking at a pulpit or in a classroom at church, tends to help us remove ourselves from the profane into the sacred.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

I am not going to even attempt to get into commenting on an article about spellin' not with my track record. I'ms jus trilled ya'lls let me play here.