Random General Conference Data Analysis
The following phrases, words, and other nuggets piqued my curiosity. Here’s a few usage statistics that might interest only me.
- Donald Hallstrom and M. Russel Ballard used the phrase “Heavenly Parents” in their conference addresses on Saturday. In the last 30 years, that exact phrase has been used 5 times in the 1980s, 12 times in the 1990s, 15 times in the 2000s, and 21 times so far in the 2010s.
- Mervyn B. Arnold talked about rescuing people. The word “rescue” was used infrequently from the 1850s until the 1990s (only an average of 13 times per decade). However, we’ve seen a sharp uptick since then: 55 times in the 1990s, 79 times in the 2000s, and 98 times (so far) in the 2010s. I would assume this probably has to do with many of the “rescue initiatives” that began in the last 2000s.
- M. Russell Ballard discussed Snapchat and Twitter in his address on Saturday afternoon. While this was the first time Snapchat had been used in General Conference, Twitter had been used before! It was used once in the 1880s, once in the 1980s, once in the 1990s, and twice in the 2010s. I would assume it meant the vocalization of a bird or the feeling of being “twitterpated” prior to the 2010s, but still. I’m waiting for an LDS website to run a story about how former General Conference speakers were inspired to use that phrase before the digital microblogging platform became popular.
- President Uchtdorf used the word “Selfie” in his Priesthood address on Saturday night. The word “selfie” has been used once before in LDS General Conference history by…President Uchtdorf, in the April 2014 General Conference.
- He also mentioned someone wearing a “Chewbacca” costume. Chewbacca has never been used at LDS General Conference history until Saturday night.
- Sunday Morning, someone (didn’t get the name) used the word “Pride.” Pride is a common word among the religious, and the trend is even more interesting for General Conference. The word “pride” hit a peak in the 1980s (used 186 times), but has been on a decline since: it was used 124 times in the 1990s, 103 times in the 2000s, and only 65 times in the 2010s.
- “Family” is another word that the LDS faithful are known for using and talking about. The word “family” hit its lowest use in the 1900s, when it was used only 338 times. In the last 40 years, however, it has been used quite frequently: 2,416 times in the 1970s, 1,919 times in the 1980s, 2,349 times in the 1990s, and 2,445 times in the 2000s. If this trend for the 2010s stays the same, this decade is going to outpace others by a significant margin.
- President Monson, in his Sunday morning address, quoted Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland.” Lewis Carroll has only been used 11 times in General Conference history, but mostly in the last 30 years: once in the 1980s, three times in the 1990s, 4 times in the 2000s (the most out of any decade), and once in the 2010s.
- President Uchtdorf’s Sunday Morning address was beautiful as he talked about the destruction and rebuilding of a Lutheran church in Germany. The word Lutheran has been used 53 times in General Confefence history, hitting its peak in the 1970s where it was used 17 times. It has been used sparingly since then: 3 times in the 1980s, none in the 1990s, once in the 2000s, and until President Uchtdorf’s address, never been used in the 2010s.
- He also mentioned using a sextant to navigate. Surprisingly, the word “sextant” has been used 13 times total in General Conference, and all within the 1980s (6 times) and 1990s (7 times).
- Gerrit W. Gong quoted T.S. Elliot in his talk – this was the first time TS Elliot has been quoted in General Conference history.
- No speakers during this April’s General Conference spoke in their native language. I have heard whispers that the native language initiative went away, but no confirmation.
On a personal note, I kind of went a bit nuts on Twitter over the weekend @TheMormonNews, tweeting 720 times. Based on analytics and personal pride, my top tweets included some of the data analysis above, my top three talks were during Bishop W. Christopher Waddell’s talk, during Elder Holland’s talk, and during Elder Patrick Kearon’s talk.
For those keeping score at home, my personal favorite talks over the weekend, ranked:
- Elder Patrick Kearon: “Refuge from the Storm“, and President Uchtdorf’s touching emotional response immediately following Elder Kearon’s talk.
- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “He Will Place You On His Shoulders“
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders Among You“
- Elder Gerrit W. Gong: “Always Remember Him“
Later this week I might have a write-up of the little General Conference game I play called “Team Institution vs. Team Individual,” and how those scores played out. If I have time. Oh who am I kidding – I never have time.