Adamic language - Definition and Overview

The Adamic language is a term for the hypothetical language believed by some to have been spoken by all humans from the creation of Adam until the time of the Tower of Babel (as related in the Bible). In previous centuries, many scholars believed that the Adamic language was Biblical Hebrew, and that all languages are descended from it. Today, because of the differences between the major branches of human language, most linguists doubt that such a Proto-World Language existed.

The Adamic language in Mormonism

In Mormonism, the Adamic language has been thought by some Latter Day Saints to be the language of God. Though different from Hebrew, the Hebrew language was thought to contain remnants of this ancient language, including the words Elohim and Jehovah. According to Joseph Smith, Jr.'s translation of the Bible, this language was "pure and undefiled". (Book of Moses 6:6).

Some early leaders of the Latter Day Saint movement, including founder Joseph Smith, Jr. (JD 2:342), and Latter-day Saint leaders Brigham Young (HC 1:297) and Elizabeth Ann Whitney (7 Woman's Exponent 83 (Nov. 1, 1878)) claimed to have received several words in the Adamic language in revelations. Some Latter Day Saints believe that the Adamic language will be restored as the universal language of humankind at the end of the world.

The name of the Mormon settlement "Adam-ondi-Ahman" in Daviess County, Missouri, U.S., is supposedly in the Adamic language. Also, some allegedly Adamic words were used in the Temple Endowment prior to 1990. While no written copy of them is available, they were pronounced the same as the English words "Pay Lay El". The given English translation was "Oh God, hear the words of my mouth." The English translation is used in the rite today.

Other words thought by some Mormons to derive from the Adamic language include deseret ("honey bee", see Ether 2:3), Ahman ("God"), son Ahman ("Son of God", see LDS D&C 78:20, 95:17), sons Ahman ("sons of God"), and shelem ("height", see Ether 3:1). Nauvoo ("beautiful") is also often popularly attributed to Adamic, but it is actually a Sephardi Hebrew word (Standard Hebrew נאוו navu).

See also

• History of linguistics

Reference

• John S. Robertson, 1 Encyclopedia of Mormonism, "Adamic Language".

External link

• In Search of the Adamic Language, Meridian Magazine (http://www.meridianmagazine.com/sci_rel/010808adamic.html)