The Role of Constructed Languages in Tolkiens Work

Name: Parakmiako Ergaleio

Course: Research Paper Writing Semester: 5th

Date of Submission: 31/01/08

Contents
I. Introduction A. The Aim of the Research Paper --------------------------------------------3 B. A Definition of Language----------------------------------------------------4 C. A Definition of Constructed Languages ----------------------------------4 D. Tolkiens Linguistic Past-----------------------------------------------------5 Main Body A. A Summary of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion -------------------------------------------------------------6 1. The Hobbit --------------------------------------------------------6 2. The Silmarillion --------------------------------------------------6 3. The Lord of the Rings ---------------------------------------------7 B. A Categorization of Tolkiens Invented Languages and Some Examples of Them in the Above Works ---------------------------8 1. Languages of the Elves -----------------------------------------8 a.Before the First Age ----------------------------------8 b. First Age -----------------------------------------------8 c.Second Age ---------------------------------------------9 d. Third Age------------------------------------------------9 2. Languages of Men and Hobbits ------------------------------10 3. Language of the Dwarves ---------------------------------------10 4. Language of the Orks --------------------------------------------10 5. Languages of the Ents --------------------------------------------11 C. Reflections of Real Languages in Tolkiens Languages--------------12 D. An Attempt to Describe the Importance and the Role of these Languages in Tolkiens Work -----------------------------------13 Conclusion A Conclusion on the Way Invented Languages Interrelate With the Stories and Especially With: the Characters Sociopolitical Background, Culture and History -------------------------------14 Bibliography-----------------------------------------------------------------------------15

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Introduction
A. The Aim of the Research Paper Everyone knows about J. R. R. Tolkiens works. Those who have not read The Lord of the Rings have probably seen one of the related movies. Very few people know though that Tolkien has created various languages for the tribes of Middle-Earth. This research paper concerns the invented languages and their role. My aim is to familiarize with Tolkiens invented languages (for instance, Quenya) and understand their beauty and the role they have in his works. Moreover, I would like to invite my readers to read Tolkiens books and understand his role both as a great writer and as a talented linguist. For this research paper I use material from various sources (from the library, from the internet etc.) in order to provide the readers with different aspects and information about the people of Middle-Earth and the languages and dialects they use. Furthermore, I am quoting parts of Tolkiens Letters in order to present the writers own opinion about the use of specific phrases and words. The aim of this paper is on the one hand to present an exploration of Tolkiens invented languages and on the other hand to explain their relationship with the contents of Tolkiens literary work (including the characters, the setting, the atmosphere and the plot). Most people ignore the importance of invented languages such as the language of the Elves and suppose it is easy to create a language out of your imagination and use it in a story. I am going to present the various languages used in Tolkiens work and provide a brief

explanation of each in order for the people to understand their significance and their beauty. Their interrelation with the other elements of the stories will be shown in order to reach a final conclusion. The reader of this paper is eventually expected to feel familiar with Tolkiens languages and be encouraged to study them along with the original texts in order to understand the texts themselves.

B. A Definition of Language As human beings, we use language every day in its written and spoken form. It is the most important tool of communication. To be more precise, language is a system of visual, auditory, or tactile symbols and the rules used to manipulate them. Language can also refer to the use of such systems as a general phenomenon. Though commonly used as a means of communication among people, human language is only one instance of this phenomenon (Wikipedia, Language). Language, according to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English, is a human and noninstinctive method of communicating ideas, feelings and desires by means of a system of sounds and sound symbols. C. A Definition of Constructed Languages

A constructed or artificial language -known colloquially or informally as a conlang- is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary have been devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally. There are many possible reasons to create a constructed language: to ease human communication (see international auxiliary language and code); to bring fiction or an associated constructed world to life; linguistic experimentation; celebration of one's aesthetic tastes in language; and language games (Wikipedia, Constructed Languages).

Parallel to Tolkien's professional work as a philologist, and sometimes overshadowing this work, to the effect that his academic output remained rather thin, was his affection for the construction of artificial languages. The best developed of these are Quenya and Sindarin, the etymological connection between which formed the core of much of Tolkien's legendarium. Language and grammar for Tolkien was a matter of aesthetics and euphony, and Quenya in particular was designed from "phonaesthetic" considerations; it was intended as an "Elvenlatin", and was phonologically based on Latin, with ingredients from Finnish and Greek. A notable addition came in late 1945 with Adnaic or Nmenrean, a language of a "faintly Semitic flavor", connected with Tolkien's Atlantis legend, which by The Notion Club Papers ties directly into his ideas about inability of language to be inherited, and via the "Second Age" and the story of Erendil was grounded in the legendarium, thereby providing a link of Tolkien's twentieth-century "real primary world" with the legendary past of his Middle-earth (Wikipedia, Tolkien).

D. Tolkiens Linguistic Past The evidence suggests that Tolkiens literary ambitions were at least as deep-rooted as his academic ones (Rosebury 127). If long perservance in solitude, without public encouragement, is any proof of resolute ambition, no twentieth-century literary career was more ambitiously planned than Tolkiens (127). His love of language and philology characterised his academic career and his literary production. He specialized in Ancient Greek philology in college and in 1915 graduated with Old Norse as special subject. He worked for the Oxford English Dictionary from 1918 and in 1920, he went to Leeds as Reader in English language, where he claimed credit for raising the number of students of linguistics from five to twenty. He gave courses in Old English heroic verse, history of English, various Old English and Middle English texts, Old and Middle English philology, introductory Germanic philology, Gothic, Old Icelandic, and Medieval Welsh. When in 1925 Tolkien applied for the Rawlinson

and Bosworth Professorship of Anglo-Saxon, he boasted that his students of Germanic philology in Leeds had even formed a "Viking Club" (Wikipedia, Tolkien). Privately, Tolkien was attracted to "things of racial and linguistic significance", and he entertained notions of an inherited taste of language, which he termed the "native tongue" as opposed to "cradle tongue" in his 1955 lecture English and Welsh, which is crucial to his understanding of race and language. He considered West Midlands dialect of Middle English to be his own "native tongue", and, as he wrote to W. H. Auden in 1955, "I am a West-midlander by blood (and took to early west-midland Middle English as a known tongue as soon as I set eyes on it)" (Wikipedia, Tolkien).

Main Body
A. A Summary of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion 1. The Hobbit (1937) The novel introduced the world of Middle-Earth and seems to be a prologue to The Lord of the Rings. Synopsis of the story: A race of small humanlike creatures, hobbits characteristically value peace, simplicity and cozy homes, yet they are capable of incredible feats of courage and resourcefulness. The unwilling hero, Bilbo Baggins, is persuaded to join Thorin and his twelve dwarves to recover their stolen treasure, which is being guarded by the dragon Smaug. During the expedition, Bilbo finds a magical ring that renders the wearer invisible. The Hobbit is the story of Bilbos maturing from a seeker of warmth and comfort to a fighter, however humble, for the greater good (Merriam-Webster, Hobbit). The Hobbit though has been often presented as a childrens fairy tale. The devoted readers of Tolkien disagree with this opinion and I would definitely agree with them. I urge those who had not read it yet to read it and let themselves enjoy their journey to fantasy. 2. The Silmarillion (1977) The reader who intends to explore the legends behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit should certainly read The Silmarillion. Tolkien has been working on it for

over forty years, until his death. This work is the very completeness of the mythical and legendary structure reflected in the background of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (Merriam-Webster, Silmarillion). Synopsis of the story: It is actually the history of Middle-Earth. It begins with the creation of the universe and traces the origins of all speaking peoples. The Silmarillion consists of many detailed episodes describing the creation of the world and its inhabitants, the battles between good and evil, the relationship between the various tribes of Middle-Earth, the adventures of great heroes and even a great love story, the story of Beren and Luthien. The narrative form reminds us of Homers Odyssey and Iliad (Merriam-Webster, Silmarillion).

3. The Lord of the Rings The writers most famous trilogy comprising The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), The Two Towers (1955) and The Return of the King (1956). The plots are set in the Third Age of Middle-Earth. The trilogy is the saga of a group of sometimes reluctant heroes who set fort to save their world from consummate evil. Its many worlds and creatures draw their life from Tolkiens exclusive knowledge of philology and folklore. Synopsis of the story: At 33, Frodo Baggins receives a magic Ring of Invisibility from his uncle Bilbo Baggins. A Christlike figure, Frodo learns that the ring has the power to control the entire world and, he discovers, to corrupt its owner. A fellowship of hobbits, men, elves and dwarves is formed to destroy the ring by casting it into the volcanic fires of the Crack of Doom where it was forged. They are opposed on their harrowing mission by evil Sauron and his dark forces (Merriam-Webster, Lord).

B. A Categorization of Tolkiens Invented Languages and Some Examples of Them in the Above Works (Following Lisa Stars categorization) 1. Languages of the Elves a. Before the First Age Eldarin were spoken by the Elves in Valinor. Eldarin include Lindarin, Ingwiquendya and Valinorean Quenya. There are just a few words attested for each one of these dialects. Quenya was spoken by the Elves of Valinor before the First Age and it remains a language of high speech or a book language until the Third Age. Telerin was spoken before the First Age by the Elves of Alqualonde in Valinor and continued to be spoken there and at the Grey Havens. Old Noldorin was spoken before the First Age, either by the Noldor of Valinor, or by the Ilkorin Elves of Beleriand and it continued in use in Beleriand during the First Age. b. First Age

Quenya was spoken in Beleriand and remained a house language of the Noldor and the first language of some of the Edain. The Ilkorin Dialects were spoken by the Ilkorin Elves in Beleriand. They include: Ilkorin, Doriathrin, Danian and Falathren. The Noldorin Dialects were spoken by the Noldor in Beleriand and were closely related to the Ilkorin dialects. They include: Mithrim, Wargothrond, Gondolin and Mulnoldorin.

c. Second Age Qenya was spoken in Tol Eressea by the returning Noldor. It is an early form of Quenya. Quenya was used as a high speech of Numenor. Gnomish or Goldogrin was spoken in Tol Eressea by the returning Noldor. Noldorin was the usual language of the Noldor of Eregion and of the Dunedain. It was also commonly spoken by Dwarves in Moria. Nandorin was spoken by the Green-elves (Star, 2000). d. Third Age Quenya was used as the high speech among Elves and remained in use among the Dunedain and among certain educated Hobbits. Examples: I atan mane meaning a good man ( 381), A Elbereth Gilthoniel o menel palan-diriel (Two Towers 422), silivren penna mriel (Rosebury 124), namri meaning goodbye ( 113). The musicality and beauty of this language is obvious.

Sindarin was the usual speech of Elves and Dunedain. Silvan Dialects were spoken by the Elves of Lorien and Mirkwood.

2. Languages of Men and Hobbits-The Common Language Westron is the common speech of mortals in the Third Age and its dialects are spoken among the people of Gondor, Bree, Rohan and other places. Specific dialects are: the Rohannish of the Rohirrim and the Hobbitish of the Hobbits, of both the Shire and the Stoors. Westron was also used by the Dwarves during the Third Age and sometimes by Orks, too. Westron was somehow the Common Language of the peoples of Middle-Earth.and is related to Taliska (language with Germanic routes, created by Tolkien). Example: Gondor! Gondor, between the Mountains and the Sea! West Wind blew there; the light upon the Silver Tree (Two Towers 17).

3. Language of the Dwarves Dwarvish or Khzdul is a private language and is only known by the Dwarves, Gandalf and Galandriel. Example: Khazd ai-mnu! (Two Towers 167). Moria, the city of the Dwarves, is actually a Sindarin name though, meaning Black Chasm (Carpenter and Tolkien 382).

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4. Language of the Orks The Black Speech was spoken by Sauron and may have been invented by him during the Second Age. The Orkish or Debased Black Speech is attested from the Third Age among several groups of Orks (in Moria, Mordorand Isengard). Example: Uglk u bagronk sha pushdug Saruman-glob bbhosh skai (Two Towers 47). Think about Sauron; there is a linguistic connection between Sauron and the Greek a lizard (Carpenter and Tolkien 380). The word for ring in the Black Speech is nazg (384) and Nazgul means Ring-wraith (382). We can assume that Orkish is a very harsh language and has no musicality at all. 5. Languages of the Ents Entish Quenya, as it is spoken in the Third Age and long before, may be considered a dialect of Quenya, because it has so many words of Quenya in it. The Ents also had a language unique to them, Entish, which no one else could learn. Fangorn also knew Westron and perhaps Sindarin. Entish were described as long and sonorous. Example: a-lalla-lalla-rumba-kamanda-lindor-burm meaning hill (Two Towers 74).

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C. Reflections of Real Languages in Tolkiens Languages Many character and place names in his works are related to words from old and modern languages. In his book Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards, Michael N. Stanton provides examples of the historical links for some of Tolkien's characters and settings (National Geographic). A few examples follow:

Saruman's name derives from the Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, root "searu-" for "treachery" or "cunning." "Sauron" is linked to the Old Norse or Icelandic stem meaning "filth" or "dung" or "uncleanness." "Mordor" derives from the Old English word "morthor," which means "murder." "Middle-earth" is related to the name "middan-geard," which was the name for the Earth itself in Old English poetry and was considered to be the battleground between the forces of good and evil.

The High Elvish language, Quenya, was inspired by Finnish. Tolkien taught himself Finnish in order to read the Kalevala, a 19th-century compilation of old Finnish songs and stories (National Geographic).

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D. An Attempt to Describe the Importance and the Role of these Languages in Tolkiens Work People should understand that language is not just another tool of communication used by the writer. It is true that language conveys thoughts, opinions, feelings but it is also part of the civilization of each tribe, an important part of its history. This applies to Tolkiens invented languages, too. The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion may have been viewed as another fairy-tale without the existence of the historical, cultural background of their protagonists in relation with their languages. Each language has its own set of symbols, number of words, intonation and pronunciation, rhythm and number of speakers. Thus, the languages Tolkien created are unique. However complete these languages, though, it is clear that Tolkien understood that the core of any his creature's personalities is the language they speak. He certainly knew that differences in language reflect real differences in the way intelligent beings view the world (Yourdictionary, Tolkien).

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Despair over the loss of cultures and languages resonates throughout Tolkien's narrative in The Lord of the Rings. The Elves are disappearing from Middle-earth. High and Common Elvish, languages that few outside of the Elves speak or understand, are vanishing along with thousands of years of Elvish culture and knowledge (National Geographic). Likewise, the cultural realm of the Dwarves is dwindling, with only a few strongholds remaining. And though in many ways the hobbits live an idyllic life, they are culturally isolated and have little knowledge of the outside worlda characteristic that threatens to destroy them (National Geographic). Yet it is from the hobbitsthought of by Elves and Dwarves as insignificant and powerlessthat hope arises against the threat of extinction for all of Middle-earth's cultures (National Geographic).

Conclusion
The Way Invented Languages Interrelate With the Stories and Especially With: the Characters Sociopolitical Background, Culture and History As mentioned above, Tolkien understood that the core of any of his creature's personalities is the language they speak (Yourdictionary, Tolkien). When the languages are viewed as a vehicle of the history of Middle-Earth then we may learn a lot of information about them. Both real languages and invented languages are constantly changing during the various time periods (, 352). Some dialects may be forgotten and new dialects may be invented by a specific tribe. You may even notice that languages reflect the general political choices and beliefs of the groups of people that are using them (for instance, the antithesis between the language of the Elves and the language of Mordor can be easily observed) (352). Furthermore, language reflects the social status of a tribe or a group of people: the upper class of a region of Middle-Earth knows how to speak more than one language unlike the lower class of the same region that only speaks its mother tongue (352).

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Remember the variety of Elvish languages in contrast with the languages spoken by Men. Only a few well-educated Men knew words in Quenya and an even lower number knew how to speak it correctly. The Hobbits, being a modest tribe with mostly uneducated members, inhabiting an isolated, pure area of Middle-Earth only communicated using a dialect of Westron called Hobbitish. The Hobbits history compared to the history of Elves, seems to be insignificant. The Elves have invented many dialects mainly due to them inhabiting Middle-Earth since its creation, before the First Age, when all other tribes have not appeared yet. After going deeply into Tolkiens works I would like to conclude by saying that his stories cannot be viewed separately from the invented languages found in them. These languages deserve the readers attention if he wants to understand completely and enjoy the writers storytelling.

Bibliography
Carpenter, H. and Tolkien, C. (eds.) The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981. Hornby, A. S. Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985. Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature. USA: Merriam-Webster, 1995. Rosebury, B. Tolkien: a Critical Assessment. Houndmills: Macmillan, 1992. Star, L. List of Tolkien's Languages. Tyalie Tyelellieva. 2000. Accessed December 8, 2007. <http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/9902/langlst.html> Tolkien, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings. London: Harper Collins Publishers, 2001. , . , . : Anubis, 2002. , . . . . ( . -). : , 1996. , . Quenya. : , 2003. Accessed November 30, 2007. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien> Accessed January 28, 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invented_languages> Accessed November 30, 2007.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language> Accessed November 2007. <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngbeyond/rings/ Language.html> Accessed December 7, 2007. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/tolkien.html>

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