Languages

2011-03-14T01:18:38Z

Scott Land:

According to [[Pengolodh]], the sage of [[Gondolin]], the making of a '''language''' is the chief character of an [[Incarnate]]. The speaking peoples used languages to communicate. The first of those races were the [[Dwarves]] who were taught by [[Aulë]] and then the [[Elves]], called themselves [[Quendi|Kwendî]], the "Speakers".

In the history of [[Arda]], the tongues were separated as part of the peoples emigrating while others stay behind, leading to a split of [[Quenya]] (High-Elvish, or Elf-Latin) and [[Sindarin]].

==Linguistic lore==
In Quenya, ''[[lambë]]'' is the term for spoken language or verbal communiation while ''tengwesta'' is a more abstract term for a system or a code of signs and may be translated as "grammar".

In [[Valinor]], the Elves began to be interested in the nature of their languages. These loremasters were called [[lambengolmor]]. Usually they would compare [[Quenya]] proper against [[Telerin]] and point out the original [[Primitive Quendian]].

The invention of writing is attributed to [[Rúmil (Elf of Tirion)|Rúmil]], who first invented an alphabet: the [[Sarati]] (literally "letters"). [[Fëanor]] later enhanced and further developed this alphabet into the [[Tengwar]], which were spread to Middle-earth by the [[Noldor|Ñoldor]] and remained in use ever after.

[[Daeron]] of [[Doriath]] indepently of Rúmil and Fëanor had invented the [[Cirth]] [[Runes]], but these were only used for inscriptions, and otherwise replaced by the Tengwar, except among the [[Dwarves]].

An important source of Middle-earth linguistic scholarship is [[Pengolodh]] of Gondolin who wrote in Quenya. He is the author of ''[[Quendi and Eldar]]'', the ''[[Lhammas]]'' and ''[[Osanwe-kenta]]''.

==List of languages==

#[[Elvish]]:
#*[[Primitive Quendian]]
#**[[Avarin]] languages (at least six languages)
#**[[Common Eldarin]]
#***[[Quenya]]
#****[[Vanyarin]]
#****[[Quenya|Noldorin Quenya]]
#****[[Telerin]] of [[Valinor]] (from [[Common Telerin]] but influenced by Quenya)
#***[[Common Telerin]]
#****[[Telerin]] of [[Valinor]] (considered a dialect of [[Quenya]])
#****[[Sindarin]] (at least three dialects)
#****[[Nandorin]] languages (influenced by Avarin)
#[[Mannish]] languages (all showed influence by Avarin tongues as well as [[Khuzdul]]):
#*Languages of forefathers of the First and Third Houses of the [[Atanatári]]
#**[[Taliska]] (two dialects)
#***[[Adûnaic]]
#****[[Westron]] (influenced by [[Sindarin]], and languages of Eriador)
#*****[[Hobbitish]] (dialect of Westron, influenced by languages of Northmen)
#****Black Adûnaic of [[Black Númenóreans]]
#**Languages of Men of [[Eriador]] during the [[Second Age]]
#**Languages of [[Northmen]]
#***[[Dale|Dalish]]
#***[[Rohirric]]
#*Language of forefathers of the Second House of the Atanatari
#**[[Haladin]] language
#**[[Dunlendish|Dunlending language]]
#*[[Drúedain|Drûg]] languages
#**Language of the Drúedain of [[Brethil]]
#**Language of the Woses of [[Drúadan Forest]]
#*Many [[Haradrim]] languages
#*Many tongues of [[Easterlings]]
#*Language of the [[Lossoth]]
#Languages of [[Dwarves]]:
#*[[Khuzdul]]
#*[[Iglishmek]] (sign language)
#Languages of the [[Ents]]
#*Old Entish.
#*"New" Entish
#Languages of the [[Ainur]] ([[Valar]] and [[Maiar]])
#*[[Valarin]]
#**[[Black Speech]], created by [[Sauron]]

==Inspiration==
In discussing the languages [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] invented, it is necessary to consider two aspects: their "primary world" history, namely their literal development by Tolkien as a linguist, and their "[[secondary world]]" history, namely their imagined historical development in the history of Middle-earth.

Tolkien was a professional linguist and a specialist in the Old English language. He was also interested in many languages outside his field and developed a particular love for the Finnish language (he described the finding of a Finnish grammar book as "entering a complete wine-cellar filled with bottles of an amazing wine of a kind and flavour never tasted before", ''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', number 214).

Finnish morphology (particularly its rich system of inflection) in part gave rise to [[Quenya]]. Another of Tolkien's favorites was Welsh — and features of Welsh phonology found their way to [[Sindarin]]. Numerous words were borrowed from existing languages, but less and less obviously as Tolkien progressed, so that attempts to match a source to a particular Elvish word or name in works published during his lifetime are often very dubious.

Language-making was Tolkien's hobby for most of his life. He is known to have constructed his first languages (Animalic and Nevbosh) at a little over thirteen and he continued to ponder upon his creations up until his death more than sixty-five years later. Language invention had always been tightly connected to the mythology that Tolkien developed, as he found that a language could not be complete without the history of the people who spoke it, just as these people could never be fully realistic if imagined only through the English and as speaking English. Tolkien therefore took the stance of a translator and adaptor rather than that of the original author of his works.

Although the [[Elvish]] languages [[Sindarin]] and [[Quenya]] are the most famous and the most mature languages of those that Tolkien invented for his mythology, they are by no means the only ones. They belong to a family of Elvish dialects, that originate in [[Common Eldarin]], the language common to all [[Eldar]], which in turn originates in [[Primitive Quendian]], the common root of [[Eldar]]in and [[Avari]]n languages. In addition to that, there is a separate language family that is spoken by Men, the most prominent member of which was [[Westron]] (derived from the [[Númenóreans|Númenórean]] speech [[Adûnaic]]) or the "Common speech" of the peoples of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. Most Mannish tongues showed influences by Elvish, as well as some [[Dwarvish]] influences. Several independent languages were drafted as well, for example the [[Khuzdul]] language of the Dwarves. Other languages are [[Valarin]] (the tongue of the [[Valar]]), and the [[Black Speech]] created by [[Sauron]] during the Second Age.

==Elvish scholarship==
Although the study of Tolkien's languages is as a rule not taken seriously by mainstream linguistics, a number of serious scholars have worked on compiling all that can be recovered about their histories and grammars.

An early book dedicated to Tolkien's languages is ''[[An Introduction to Elvish]]'' by [[Jim Allan]] (published by Bran's Head Books), written before the publication of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' in 1977 and therefore mostly outdated.

There are several journals dedicated to the subject:
*[[Quettar]], Bulletin of the Linguistic Fellowship of The Tolkien Society, edited by Julian C. Bradfield, the oldest Eldarin publication.
*[[Vinyar Tengwar]] and [[Parma Eldalamberon]] are published by the [[Elvish Linguistic Fellowship]].
*[[Tyalie Tyelellieva]] is published by [[Lisa Star]].
*[[Mythlore]] is published by the [[Mythopoeic Society]].
*[[Beyond Bree]] is published by [[Nancy Martsch]].

[[Tolklang]], [[Elfling]] and [[Lambengolmor]] are mailing lists dedicated to Tolkien linguistics.

==External links and references==
*[http://www.uib.no/People/hnohf/ Ardalambion] A site containing much knowledge about Tolkien's languages and questions surrounding them.
*[http://www.geocities.com/tyalie Tyalie Tyelellieva]
*[http://www.elvish.org/ The Elvish Linguistic Fellowship]
*[http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/misc/local/TolkLang/ the Tolkien language mailing list]
*[http://www.lotrlibrary.com/ The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Library]
*[http://www.jerekdain.com/tolkien.html Tolkien information: Languages, Elves, the Ainur, and the Valar]
*[http://www.elvish.org/gwaith/language.htm Fellowship of the Word-smiths] With language courses, links, translations, and much more
*[http://www.abo.fi/~jolin/tolkien/ Tolkien's Pronunciation Recordings] Ardamir's Tolkien Homepage

[[Category: Languages| ]]
[[fr:langues/langues]]

User talk:Scott Land

2011-03-14T01:17:59Z

Scott Land: Adding welcome message to new user's talk page

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Languages

User talk:Scott Land