𐐜 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐈𐑊𐑁𐐰𐐺𐐯𐐻 𐐶𐐱𐑆 𐐼𐐨𐑂𐐯𐑊𐐲𐐹𐐻 𐐺𐐴 𐑁𐐱𐑊𐐬𐐯𐑉𐑆 𐐱𐑂 𐑄 𐐢𐐰𐐻𐐯𐑉 𐐔𐐩 𐐝𐐩𐑌𐐻 𐑉𐐯𐑅𐐻𐐬𐑉𐐩𐑇𐐲𐑌𐐮𐑅𐐻 𐑋𐐭𐑂𐑋𐐯𐑌𐐻 𐐼𐐮𐐭𐑉𐐮𐑍 𐑄 𐑋𐐮𐐼 𐐻𐐭 𐑊𐐩𐐻 𐑌𐐴𐑌𐐻𐐨𐑌𐑃 𐑅𐐯𐑌𐐻𐐷𐐮𐐭𐑉𐐮. 𐐈𐐻 𐑄 𐐆𐑊𐐮𐑌𐑎 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐗𐐱𐑌𐑅𐐫𐑉𐐻𐐮𐐲𐑋, 𐐶𐐨 𐐪𐑉 𐐹𐑉𐐵𐐼 𐐻𐐭 𐐰𐐿𐑌𐐱𐑊𐐯𐐾 𐑄𐐰𐐻 𐑄 𐑅𐐨𐐼𐑆 𐐱𐑂 𐑄 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐈𐑊𐑁𐐰𐐺𐐯𐐻 𐐶𐐲𐑉 𐐹𐑊𐐰𐑌𐐻𐐯𐐼 𐐮𐑌 𐐶𐐯𐑅𐐻𐐯𐑉𐑌 𐐆𐑊𐐮𐑌𐑎, 𐐸𐐶𐐩𐑉 𐑄 𐐕𐐲𐑉𐐽 𐐱𐑂 𐐖𐐨𐑆𐐲𐑅 𐐗𐑉𐐴𐑅𐐻 𐐱𐑂 𐐢𐐰𐐻𐐯𐑉 𐐔𐐩 𐐝𐐩𐑌𐐻𐑅 𐐶𐐱𐑆 𐐸𐐯𐐼𐐿𐐶𐐫𐑉𐐻𐐯𐑉𐐼 𐐲𐑌𐐻𐐮𐑊 𐑄 𐑋𐐮𐐼 1840'𐑆. 𐐐𐐶𐐴𐑊 𐐮𐑌 𐐆𐑊𐐮𐑌𐑎, 𐐢𐐰𐐻𐐯𐑉 𐐔𐐩 𐐝𐐩𐑌𐐻 𐑊𐐨𐐼𐐯𐑉𐑆 𐐺𐐨𐐿𐐩𐑋 𐐮𐑌𐐻𐐯𐑉𐐯𐑅𐐻𐐯𐐼 𐐮𐑌 𐑁𐐬𐑌𐐨𐑋𐐮𐐿 𐐺𐑉𐐰𐐿𐐮𐑀𐑉𐐰𐑁𐐮𐑆 𐑊𐐴𐐿 𐐑𐐮𐐻𐑋𐐰𐑌 𐐟𐐫𐑉𐐻𐐸𐐰𐑌𐐼—𐑉𐐴𐐻𐐮𐑍 𐑅𐐮𐑅𐐻𐐯𐑋𐑆 𐑄𐐰𐐻 𐑊𐐩𐐻𐐯𐑉 𐐮𐑌𐑁𐑊𐐭𐐯𐑌𐑅𐐻 𐑄 𐐼𐐮𐑂𐐯𐑊𐐲𐐹𐑋𐐯𐑌𐐻 𐐱𐑂 𐐒𐐯𐑊'𐑆 𐐚𐐮𐑆𐐮𐐺𐑊 𐐝𐐹𐐨𐐽 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐑄 𐐆𐑌𐐻𐐯𐑉𐑌𐐰𐑇𐐲𐑌𐐲𐑊 𐐙𐐬𐑌𐐯𐐻𐐮𐐿 𐐈𐑊𐑁𐐰𐐺𐐯𐐻. 𐐜 𐑁𐐳𐑊 𐑁𐑊𐐵𐐯𐑉 𐐱𐑂 𐑄 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐈𐑊𐑁𐐰𐐺𐐯𐐻 𐐺𐑊𐐭𐑋𐐼 𐐬𐑌𐑊𐐮 𐐶𐐲𐑌𐑅 𐑄 𐐣𐐫𐑉𐑋𐐲𐑌𐑆 𐐸𐐰𐐼 𐐯𐑅𐐻𐐰𐐺𐑊𐐮𐑇𐐻 𐑄𐐯𐑋𐑅𐐯𐑊𐑂𐑆 𐐮𐑌 𐐏𐐮𐐭𐐻𐐪 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐑅𐐲𐑉𐐵𐑌𐐼𐐮𐑍 𐐰𐑉𐐨𐐲𐑆. 𐐈𐑌 𐐯𐐼𐐮𐑇𐐲𐑌 𐐱𐑂 𐑄 𐐒𐐳𐐿 𐐱𐑂 𐐣𐐫𐑉𐑋𐐲𐑌 𐐶𐐱𐑆 𐐹𐐲𐐺𐑊𐐮𐑇𐐻 𐐮𐑌 𐑄 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐈𐑊𐑁𐐰𐐺𐐯𐐻 𐐮𐑌 1869, 𐐲𐑌𐐼𐐯𐑉 𐑄 𐐼𐐮𐑉𐐯𐐿𐑇𐐲𐑌 𐐱𐑂 𐐢𐐔𐐝 𐐰𐐹𐐱𐑅𐑊 𐐃𐑉𐑅𐐲𐑌 𐐑𐑉𐐰𐐻 (1811-1881) 𐐶𐐮𐑄 𐐰𐑅𐐮𐑅𐐻𐐲𐑌𐑅 𐑁𐑉𐐱𐑋 𐐡𐐱𐐺𐐯𐑉𐐻 𐐢𐐰𐑍 𐐗𐐰𐑋𐐺𐐯𐑊 (1825-1874). 𐐙𐐫𐑉 𐐪 𐑂𐐰𐑉𐐴𐐯𐐻𐐮 𐐱𐑂 𐑉𐐨𐑆𐐲𐑌𐑆, 𐑄 𐐰𐑊𐑁𐐰𐐺𐐯𐐻 𐑌𐐯𐑂𐐯𐑉 𐐰𐐽𐐨𐑂𐐼 𐐶𐐴𐐼 𐐰𐐿𐑅𐐯𐐹𐐻𐐲𐑌𐑅 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐐶𐐱𐑆 𐑊𐐱𐑍 𐑉𐐨𐑀𐐪𐑉𐐼𐐯𐐼 𐐰𐑅 𐐪 𐑋𐐨𐑉 𐐿𐐮𐐭𐑉𐐨𐐱𐑅𐐮𐐻𐐮. 𐐐𐐵𐐯𐑂𐐯𐑉, 𐐶𐐮𐑄 𐐮𐑌𐐿𐑉𐐨𐑅𐐻 𐐰𐑂𐐩𐑊𐐰𐐺𐐮𐑊𐐮𐐻𐐮 𐐱𐑂 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐈𐑊𐑁𐐰𐐺𐐯𐐻 𐑊𐐯𐐻𐐯𐑉 𐐼𐐱𐐿𐐮𐐳𐑋𐐯𐑌𐐻𐑅 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐐼𐐮𐐾𐐮𐐻𐐰𐑊 𐑉𐐨𐑅𐐬𐑉𐑅𐐯𐑆 𐑁𐐫𐑉 𐐻𐐴𐐹𐑅𐐯𐐻𐐮𐑍 𐐮𐑌 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻, 𐐮𐐻 𐐮𐑆 𐑌𐐵 𐐯𐐿𐑅𐐹𐐮𐑉𐐮𐐯𐑌𐑅𐐮𐑍 𐐪 𐑉𐐯𐑌𐐲𐑅𐐪𐑌𐑅. 𐐎𐐨 𐐪𐑉 𐐮𐑌𐐻𐐯𐑉𐐯𐑅𐐻𐐯𐐼 𐐮𐑌 𐐺𐐯𐐻𐐯𐑉 𐐲𐑌𐐼𐐯𐑉𐑅𐐻𐐰𐑌𐐼𐐮𐑍 𐐸𐐵 𐑅𐐿𐑉𐐴𐐺𐑆 𐐷𐐮𐐭𐑆𐐼 𐑄 𐑅𐐿𐑉𐐮𐐹𐐻; 𐐸𐐵 𐐲𐑉𐑊𐐮 𐐣𐐫𐑉𐑋𐐲𐑌𐑆 𐑃𐐱𐐻 𐐱𐑂 𐐮𐐻; 𐐸𐐵 𐐮𐐻 𐑋𐐩 𐐸𐐰𐑂 𐑉𐐨𐑁𐑊𐐯𐐿𐐻𐐯𐐼 𐑄 𐐹𐑉𐐬𐑌𐐲𐑌𐑅𐐨𐐩𐑇𐐲𐑌 𐐱𐑂 𐐲𐑉𐑊𐐮 𐐏𐐮𐐭𐐻𐐪 𐐆𐑍𐑀𐑊𐐮𐑇; 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐐸𐐵 𐑋𐐱𐐼𐐯𐑉𐑌 𐐣𐐫𐑉𐑋𐐲𐑌 𐐆𐑌𐐻𐐯𐑊𐐯𐐿𐐻𐐷𐐮𐐭𐐲𐑊𐑆 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐐪𐑉𐐻𐐮𐑅𐐻𐑅 𐐪𐑉 𐑉𐐨𐑂𐐴𐐻𐐲𐑊𐐴𐑆𐐮𐑍 𐑄 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐈𐑊𐑁𐐰𐐺𐐯𐐻, 𐐰𐐶𐐩𐐿𐐯𐑌𐐮𐑍 𐑄𐐮𐑅 𐐷𐐮𐐭𐑌𐐨𐐿 𐐰𐑅𐐹𐐯𐐿𐐻 𐐱𐑂 𐐣𐐫𐑉𐑋𐐲𐑌 𐐿𐐲𐑊𐐻𐐷𐐮𐐭𐑉𐐲𐑊 𐐸𐐯𐑉𐐮𐐻𐐯𐐾 𐑁𐑉𐐱𐑋 𐐮𐐻𐑅 𐑊𐐱𐑍 𐐼𐐱𐑉𐑋𐐲𐑌𐑅𐐮.

The Deseret Alphabet was developed by followers of the Latter Day Saint restorationist movement during the mid to late nineteenth century. At the Illinois Deseret Consortium, we are proud to acknowledge that the seeds of the Deseret Alphabet were planted in western Illinois, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was headquartered until the mid 1840s. While in Illinois, Latter Day Saint leaders became interested in phonemic brachygraphies like Pitman Shorthand—writing systems that later influenced the development of Bell's Visible Speech and the International Phonetic Alphabet. The full flower of the Deseret Alphabet bloomed only once the Mormons had established themselves in Utah and surrounding areas. An edition of the Book of Mormon was published in the Deseret Alphabet in 1869, under the direction of LDS apostle Orson Pratt (1811-1881) with assistance from Robert Lang Campbell (1825-1874). For a variety of reasons, the alphabet never achieved wide acceptance and was long regarded as a mere curiosity. However, with increased availability of Deseret letter documents and digital resources for typesetting in Deseret, it is now experiencing a renaissance. We are interested in better understanding how scribes used the script; how early Mormons thought of it; how it may have reflected the pronunciation of early Utah English; and how modern Mormon intellectuals and artists are revitalizing the Deseret Alphabet, awakening this unique aspect of Mormon cultural heritage from its long dormancy.

• 𐐤𐐨𐑊 𐐔𐐩𐑂𐐮𐑅, 𐐗𐐱𐑋𐐹𐐮𐐭𐐻𐐲𐑉 𐐝𐐴𐐲𐑌𐑅, 𐐏𐐮𐐭𐑌𐐮𐑂𐐯𐑉𐑅𐐮𐐻𐐮 𐐱𐑁 𐐆𐑊𐐮𐑌𐑎 𐐰𐐻 𐐊𐑉𐐺𐐰𐑌𐐲-𐐟𐐰𐑋𐐹𐐩𐑌
• 𐐡𐐪𐐷𐐲𐑌 𐐟𐐱𐑅𐐻𐐯𐐼, 𐐢𐐮𐑍𐑀𐐶𐐮𐑅𐐻𐐮𐐿𐑅, 𐐔𐐬