Abstract

This thesis is a project which investigates the science of stylometry and wordprints; the analysis of writing style characteristics. The focus is placed on reexamining a wordprint study done by Wayne Larsen and Alvin Rencher wherein the Book of Mormon was analyzed against texts by those who are purported to have written it. The difference in this study from the first was that new wordprint definitions were developed using a junction grammar program created by Eldon Lytle, the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon was employed as the base text, the phrase "it came to pass" was deleted and the texts used in analysis were divided into narrative and discourse groups and analyzed separately.

The results of the thesis show conclusively that the idea of wordprints being able to identify uniqueness in authors is indeed valid. The tests on the control groups show this. This was then applied to the Book of Mormon authors and a test made which was significant; indicating that no one individual could have authored the text. This was true not only for the wordprint as defined in the Larsen/Rencher study, but for each new definition derived from the junction grammar program. Other tests were performed which showed that Joseph Smith could not have authored any part of the Book of Mormon.

Degree

College and Department

Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Statistics

Rights

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