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Language of the Mormon Pioneers

George W. Givens, Springville, Utah: Cedar Fort, 2003, 6x9" softbound, 270 pages.

This book is an amazing mix of definitions and historical facts that allows readers to seemingly step into life in the 1800s. Every page holds interesting information from 19th century documents. Each source has been carefully researched.

What is a "breechy" cow, a "churl" or a "dolly peg"? What did it mean to "cozen," to "swan" or to "rive"?

These words, like hundreds of others in this book, were common in the mid-1800s. For anyone with an interest in how our pioneer ancestors spoke and wrote, or just have an interest in LDS history, this book is a must. Each unusual word is presented in an entertaining way that will please readers of all ages. For example:

Coot-n. (Colloq.) A common or stupid fellow.

Like most weekly papers in the early nineteenth century, the Saints' Evening and Morning Star carried a great deal of filler items from papers throughout the country. In 1832, it carried such a typical item on page 31:
"It seems that, at the Union celebration of the 4th of July, in Bishopsville, S.C. the coots poisoned the victuals which sickened all that eat, and one died." So step into history, and gain some interesting and revealing insights. Even stump your friends!

Review Excerpt:

"George W. Givens has compiled a fascinating guide to the language of the early Saints. This book will serve as a valuable resource for teachers, writers and those who love to read history." --Terrie Bittner, Bella Online

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"Paraphrasing a familiar citation, I never met a word book I didn't like. I love words, I love grammar, I love everything having to do with language.

The Language of the Mormon Pioneers is, as its title states, a guide to some of the words used by the pioneers, words that are either unfamiliar to us, or whose meanings have changed over the years. Givens has done an
excellent job pulling together citations from both well-known and obscure sources, offering explanations and definitions that inform and delight.

Let me give you a few examples. What does "Fudge!" mean?

An expression of the utmost contempt, usually bestowed on absurd or lying talkers.
In 1837, while on a missionary journey through the Midwest, George A. Smith encountered a minister of the Gospel who challenged him to prove the Book of Mormon by exhibiting the golden plates. Elder Smith reported that he replied, "Bring forward, sir, the original tablers of stone upon which God wrote with his own finger the ten commandments,...and I will exhibit the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated!" Brother Smith stated, "The reverend gentleman started for the door exclaiming at the top of his voice, 'Fudge! Fudge!! Fudge!!!!' as he passed the door." (p. 101)

Each entry is fully sourced; definitions, when possible, are taken from noted sources -- dictionaries, etc. The reader can go back to the original sources and see the context of each quotation.

Now, knowing the definition is just half the fun. There's more enjoyment in actually reading the quotes. Times have changed. Language changes. And the way we use language has changed. Pick up a volume of the Journal
of Discourses, for example, and compare it to Conference talks today. You'll see what I mean.

Some of the entries are quite colorful. Take, for example, "Cankerworm":

The striped, green caterpillar of any of several geometrid moths that feed on the leaves of various trees, usually in the spring. Thus -- anything that corrupts or consumes.
In a discourse in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on April 7, 1862, George W. Smith warned the Saints: "This is what I labor and strive for. I can tell you, if you encourage a spirit of faultfinding and complaining, you will suffer a canker worm to gnaw at your vitals, to cause you to distrust everybody...Suffer these feelings to come into your bosoms, and they will speedily gain possession and gain control of the whole passion." (p. 37)

Now, if you say you already knew the meanings of "Fudge!," and "cankerworm," can you tell me what "roll pudding" is? What about "noggin"? Hint: it has nothing to do with your head.

In short, what you get in this book is not just a lexicon of sorts, but a welcome picture of a time when plain-speaking and colloquial expression were common and approved, a pre-Correlation period of verbal melees and
brutal honesty.

This is a fine book, a very good effort by the author, who has written widely on the subject of Church history. If you like words, you're bound to like this book." --Jeffrey Needle, Reviewer, The Association for Mormon Letters

George W. Givens spent twenty years teaching American History in public schools before opening what became the largest family-owned bookstore in Virginia. George joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while living in Tucson, Arizona, in 1964. He and his wife Sylvia have spent several summers in Nauvoo, Illinois, as in-house historians. Some other published titles include In Old Nauvoo, The Nauvoo Fact Book, Out of Palmyra, 500 Little-Known Facts in Mormon History, 500 MORE Little-Known Facts in Mormon History, and The Hired Man's Christmas. George currently spends his time teaching Gospel Doctrine and traveling around the country giving firesides on Church history.

Title: Language of the Mormon Pioneers

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