Believers and non-believers have both assembled their separate sets of misconceptions about the Book of Mormon. So as truth emerges, everyone gets to be surprised in some ways, including the author. Previous thoughts on Book of Mormon language have been tethered to the text. As a linguist, knowledgeable in Egyptian and Semitic languages, and as a leading authority in a relevant Native American language family, the author brings together evidence for an enlightening line of language history from Nephi to Now. His studies in comparative Uto-Aztecan clarify a number of Book of Mormon language matters.