I wish to examine the word "Rameumptom" that occurs in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, in the book of Alma, chapter 31:21.
"Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand."I will walk you through this term by way of linguistic analysis.
First, inasmuch as Hebrew appears to have played a role in the liturgical language (language of worship) among the Nephites of The Book of Mormon, I will proceed to analyze the term Rameumptom as though it were derived from a Hebrew or Hebraic source.
Second, the term "interpret"--"which, being interpreted"--denotes five meanings: 1) to translate or convert from one language to another; 2) to explain or elucidate; 3) to decipher or decode; 4) to construe or take to mean; 5) to define by using synonyms.
Contrary to what most readers assume, the meaning of "being interpreted" here is not number 1, but number 2, "explain or elucidate". How can anyone tell what meaning of being interpreted is being used here? The answer is quite evident: We are told that the interpretation of Rameumptom is "holy stand". As it happens, proceeding with Hebrew as our language of investigation, the term "holy stand" in Hebrew, depending on what type of stand was involved, might consist of "עַמּוּד" '"amud" 'column; platform; stand' and "קָדוֹשׁ" "qadosh" 'holy'. The term Rameumptom contains no recognizable Hebrew word root for "holy" let alone "stand". Thus our first conclusion is that the expression "being interpreted" as used here probably means "being explained".
Why does it matter whether the term Rameumptom is being translated literally or being explained? Initially it will not matter. We will have to break the term Rameumptom down into its smaller parts and search for their correspondences in Hebrew, again, because for the sake of analysis I am investigating the possibility of a Hebrew source. However, should we succeed in breaking Rameumptom down into smaller parts, our search for correspondences in Hebrew will differ based on whether we expect the parts of Rameumptom literally to mean "holy" and "stand" or to mean something else that in combination conveys the sense of a "holy stand". Most researchers, it seems, have sought for recognizable word roots that denote "holy" and "stand", though to no avail or success.
Why would a term be explained rather than merely translated? Terms are translated when their parts can be converted to a sensible sequence in the target language. Take for example the French expression of "maître de maison". Translated to English this means "master of the house". The French word "maître" means 'master', "de" means 'of', and "maison" means 'house'. No surprises in this translation from French to English.
However, if the word in question would be confusing to understand when its word parts are directly translated, the solution is to convey the sense of the source-language word by way of explanation. Take the French expression "belle-mère". If we translated "belle-mère" precisely as we were lucky enough to do with "maître de maison" we would quite easily get 'beautiful mother'. Indeed, the French word "belle" means 'beautiful' and "mère" means 'mother'. However, "belle-mère" does not actually mean 'beautiful mother' in English. So here we will have to render the interpretation of "belle-mère". As it happens, "belle-mère" means 'mother-in-law'. This is why sometimes we have to interpret rather than simply convert a word to it equivalent parts in the target language.
Morpheme Boundaries
In linguistics, the study of languages as systems, a "morpheme" is a minimal or smallest meaningful unit. Take for example the word doghouse. This word can be broken down or divided into two smaller units, each of which carries a meaning: dog and house. Neither dog nor house can be further subdivided into meaningful parts. Now take the word assumption. English borrowed this word and borrowed its original parts from French, and French drew all the relevant parts from Latin. For this reason this exercise will be clear to us. Let us divide "assumption" into its constituent morphemes (minimal or smallest meaningful parts): assum- 'to take, appropriate' and -tion 'an abstract instance of'. In reality, "assum-" can be further divided to "ad-" 'toward' and "sum" 'take'. When these word parts are strung together, you may have noticed that the combination of the sounds seems to trigger a change, almost like a chemical reaction, such as mixing baking soda with vinegar: ad-sum-tion > assumption. There are other similar examples: "presume:presumption", "redeem:redemption", et al.
Now, do not get concerned. This previous paragraph was as technical as I will get. What I want the reader to appreciate is that, in general, when two word parts meet, sometimes a change in sounds occurs at their point of contact. I also want the reader to appreciate, specifically, that in some languages (not in all), when the sound m meets t, as the speaker transitions from making the sound of m, which is made by pressing both lips together and rumbling one's vocal chords (as well as having air exit one's nose), to making t, which involves momentarily pressing the tip of one's tongue at a point behind their upper front teeth while relaxing or not using one's vocal chords, a new or additional sound appears between the m and t. This new transitional sound still has the speaker pursing both lips together, just like for m, but this new transitional sound relaxes or does not use the vocal chords, just like for t. As you may have guessed it, the transitional sound in this case is p. The technical term is p-epenthesis, which is a showy way of saying "p that got inserted or stuck in".
And why, pray tell, should anybody give a hoot about p-epenthesis? I am not convinced anyone outside of linguistics needs to care at all about p-epenthesis. However, understanding that a p that suddenly appears between m and t is a natural and normal phenomenon could be useful.
How could knowing that p-epenthesis is naturally occurring possibly be helpful? Well, play detective now. Knowing what p-epenthesis often indicates--namely, that p marks the exact spot where two word parts came together, the first of which ends in m and the second of which starts in t--this knowledge may help you recognize that in Rameumptom we have a word boundary on our hands.
Rameum-p-tom
What we are dealing with is not one absurdly long word part Rameumptom, but at least two smaller, constituent word parts, and the point of division is the place where p is the transition between m and t. So our analysis of Rameumptom will actually now become the analysis of "rameum" and "tom". We can clearly explain the presence of the p as a case of naturally occurring p-epenthesis, and now that we can see that this p pointed out a word boundary within Rameumptom, we need not concern ourselves with this p any further.
Minimal Meaningful Units Revisited
We saw earlier that doghouse could be divided into two meaningful parts: dog and house. We also recognized that neither dog nor house could be subdivided. Likewise, tom is rather short and most likely is not further divisible. But as with assum- which consists of two syllables and was further divisible (historically assum- came from ad-sum-), the rameum sequence is three syllables long, and in practice any word that long is going to be further divisible.
Notice that in rameum two vowels meet, eu, which is sandwiched between two m's: ra-meum. Here a little experience comes into place, just as previous encounters serve a good detective with possible routes of investigation. I posit that rame- may be divisible from -um. The question is, what would -um possibly mean? Any decent linguist would ask you whether you have any other examples of pairs of words from that source language where one word has -um and the other does not. If so, we may be able to discern a suffix or word ending is at play, and we may be able to posit or propose a working definition for -um. As it happens, we just may have two such word pairs.
In the very same book of Alma, Nephite (the name of the host nation concerned here) weight measurements are given. Consider the way they work and the names they are given. (Alma 11:7,15-16)
"A senum of silver was equal to a senine of gold, and either for a measure of barley, and also for a measure of every kind of grain."
"A shiblon is half of a senum; therefore, a shiblon is half of a measure of barley. And a shiblum is half of a shiblon."Insofar as gold was of greater value than silver, the senine of gold being equal to a senum of silver may imply that the measure called a senum of silver was a larger quantity than the senine of gold, which is how their equivalent values would have been established. It may be that there was a word root (portion) sen- to which -ine was added in the case of the measure of gold, but to which -um was added for the measure of silver. I will admit that this is pure speculation.
However, the second example seems to bear out the possibility that -um at least is a suffix, and a reasonable possibility for its meaning may be evident. A shiblon is worth half of a senum, but a shiblum is half of a shiblon. It appears here that shibl- is a word root to which both -on and -um could be added. Can you see the possible meaning of -um? It appears that -um had a diminutive meaning, that is, -um was used to denote "small version of", much like -y (in various senses) in English: book:booky, cat:kitty, dog:doggy, et al.
So where does the possible diminutive function of -um leave us now? If indeed -um has a diminutive meaning, then rameum would be a small version of rame. Now we are left to search for the root rame-.
The Root Rame-
The sequence rame- is an immediate success. In Hebrew "ram" denotes 'high' and "rama" denotes 'height; high place'. If we add the putative or supposed suffix -um which may have denoted a diminutive or "small version of"sense in Nephite Hebrew, the resultant "ramaum" or perhaps in Nephite speech "rameum" would have literally meant 'a small high place', that is, a "small tower".
In linguistics, whenever somebody lays out an argument as I have just done, an argument where I explain that a word root that denotes "height" or "high place" plus a possibly diminutive suffix together denote "small high place" or "small tower", fellow linguists will often require that an example of this process occurring in another language be provided. The reason for the other example is to demonstrate that this process is actually known to happen. As it happens, I have another example.
In Russian "vysh-" denotes 'high; height'. The diminutive suffix -ka was added to the root "vysh" to produce "vyshka", which literally means "small height/small high place", but actually means "turret; watch-tower". The picture at the start of this blog post is of a vyshka. So now the prospect of "rameum" similarly meaning, in a literal sense, "small high place", appears more plausible.
The Meaning of -Tom
This leaves the sequence "tom". As it happens, tom is also an immediate success. The word "tom" in Hebrew denotes "prosperity; integrity; wholeness; perfection". That is to say, tom means something in Hebrew, but if we add it to our putative or supposed rameum which I contend may literally mean "small high place" or "small tower", I am obligated to argue that "rameum-tom" means "small high place of integrity" or "small high place of prosperity" or perhaps even "sacred small high place".
I am wiling to stake this opinion. Do you recall our Russian word "vyshka"? It literally means 'small high place' or 'small height', but is used to denote a turret or watch-tower. Russian has a prefix voz- which literally means 'up, high', but in practice marks the noun or verb it is added to as having a "divine or religious sense." Russians would say "otiets liubil syna" (literally) 'father loved son' to mean "the father loved (his) son". However, when the Father in question is God and the Son in question is His Son Jesus, Biblical Russian renders "Otiets vozliubil Syna" 'the Father loved (the) Son". There are numerous such examples of voz- being added to nouns and verbs to denote "in a divine or religious sense", including--drum roll--"vozvyshka" which literally would mean 'up small height' but which denotes a "sacred turret/tower" as in a type of shrine or as with the turret on a sacred structure. In light of Russian providing a known instance of the turret of a sacred structure consisting of a "sacredness marker" plus "height-small", I have no qualms in positing or proposing that "rameum-tom" may have literally denoted "height-small of propserity/integrity" or even "height-small-sacred".
Textual Explanation
Let us return to what The Book of Mormon actually has to say about the Rameumptom and its interpretation (Alma 31:13,21):
13: For they had built up in the center of their synagogue, a place for standing, which was high above the head; and the top thereof would only admit one person.
21: Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand.Thus the Book of Mormon text contains an explanation of a place that was built up, a place for standing, which was high or taller than a person, which would admit only one person at its top, and the name was "Rameumptom", which interpreted or explained is "the holy stand", but whose possible literal meaning was "small high place of prosperity/integrity" or "sacred small high place". If indeed the Rameumptom literally meant "height-small-sacred", then we see why the Book of Mormon author chose to explain that this was a "holy stand" rather than offering a direct translation of the constituent parts Rame-um-tom "height-small-sacred".
Conclusion:
I must say, all the pieces of Rameumptom come together in a very reasonable degree of plausibility. I will also say, if this term Rameumptom were purely the absurd concoction of Joseph Smith and/or his co-conspirators, as some allege, the term Joseph & company proposed displays an amazing degree of linguistic savvy--we have p-epenthesis at the boundary of two Hebraic roots and possibly a Hebrew word with -um as a diminutive suffix (which suffix is masterfully masked within the word before the second suffix). But if Rameumptom were an invention of Joseph & company the term also replicates two patterns repeated elsewhere in the world--the diminutive suffix attached to "height" to denote "small high place" or "small tower" and an affix with religious connections used to attribute a sense of "sacredness" to the "small tower"--which examples were probably unknown to Joseph as even some polished Russian linguists are not aware of vyshka let alone vozvyshka today. That's pretty good for making up terms off the cuff.
I see in these examples an intriguing secondary witness of the truthfulness of the sacred record: the reason the etymology or word origin of Rameumptom makes sense is precisely because the text that contains the term is factual. I write that this etymology is a secondary witness because the only real witness of any truth is that witness which comes from God Himself through The Holy Ghost. All else is helpful, but of relatively minor importance.
Still, however the reader chooses to interpret this linguistic evidence, one thing is certain: the term Rameumptom, at least, is actually textual.
Yes, I must see you when ye first behold
Those holy turrets tipped with evening gold;
In that glad moment will for you a sigh
Be heaved, of charitable sympathy;
In that glad moment when your hands are prest
In mute devotion on the thankful breast!
(William Wordsworth, Descriptive Sketches)
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