“His Name Was Amalickiah”

Alan C. Miner

According to Royal Skousen, the Original Manuscript suggests that the spelling of names could have been checked whenever the scribe felt unsure of the spelling. This situation would naturally occur with the first occurrence of an unfamiliar name in the text. (It could also occur after a substantial hiatus, during which the scribe might have forgotten the spelling.) As an extended example of this phenomenon, consider the spelling of Amalickiah in the book of Alma:

Amalickiah (Alma 46:3)

Ameleckiah (Alma 46:10)

Amaleckiah (Alma 46:30)

Ameleckiah (Alma 47:16)

Amelickiah (Alma 47:21)

The spelling Ameleckiah also provides evidence that Joseph Smith was pronouncing this name with stress on the first syllable, with the result that the second and third vowels were reduced to the indistinct schwa vowel ("uh"). If Joseph Smith had been pronouncing Amalickiah as we do currently, with stress on the second syllable, then Oliver Cowdery would have consistently and correctly spelled at least the second vowel. [Royal Skousen, "Translating the Book of Mormon, Evidence from the Original Manuscript," in Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited, pp. 79-82]

Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon: A Cultural Commentary

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