One issue involving the construction of this word [Curelom] is that it was not found as an attested compound word in the Sumerian script. The typical construction of this word in Sumerian script (also in Egyptian, Akkadian, and other Semitic languages) would place the adjective (kur) behind the noun, not in front of the noun. However, as has been discussed, the syntax and grammar of early spoken Sumerian cannot be accurately constructed from the Sumerian logograms. In addition, the translation of the Caractors Document (Grover 2015) indicated that one of the changes in the reformed Egyptian was that the adjectives were located in front of the nouns. Mormon indicated that modification in the Egyptian syntax was to be expected:
Mormon 9:32
32 And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.
Mormon 9:33
33 And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record.
This method of compounding or agglutinizing different words to make a name is found in Mesoamerica. For example, the typical way to form an Aztec place name is to combine nouns, typically by dropping a portion of one or more of the nouns, and also sometimes adding a place particle at the end. Book of Mormon place names do not appear to have a place particle included, but this may be an artifact of translation where the particle is replaced by the English form or word such as “city” or “land”. For example, the Aztec place name Acamilixtlahuacan is translated as “Where are level fields of rushes.” The name is a compound of aca(tl) (reed); mil(li) (field); ixtlahua(ca) (level expanse); and can (place particle). The letters in parentheses are the letters that are dropped from each word when it is compounded (Starr 1920). An example of a Aztec place name that doesn’t have a definitive place particle is Teocalhueyac translated as “in the high or upreared temple” consisting of teocal(li) (temple) and hueyac (high, prolonged). Personal names in Nahuatl (language of the Aztecs) are typically compound names as well. For example, the Nahuatl name Kozkakuahtli consists of Kozka(tl) (necklace) and Kuauhtli (eagle).
Many Mayan names are compound names as well. For example the Mayan name Sachihiro, consists of ‘sachi, which means “happiness”, and ‘hiro which means “vast”. Zoque place names are typically compound names, some also have place suffixes like the Aztec (Wonderly 1946). Mixe names are also compound names such as the name of a Mixe god, Naaxwiiñ, which consists of naax (earth) and wiiñ (face, surface). (Jerry D. Grover, Jr., Sumerian Roots of Jaredite Derived Names and Terminology in the Book of Mormon [Provo, Utah: Challex Scientific Publishing, 2017], 10)
