Well, “elvish” is actually a whole family of languages in Tolkien’s works, so the answer to your question depends on which specific language you’d like to learn. If you’re looking at one of the more obscure languages (like Silvan or Proto-Eldarin) then, yeah, there really isn’t enough there to learn. Meanwhile, if you’re looking at one of… Continue reading I’ve been trying to learn elvish. I read online somewhere that, since it is not a “true language”, it cannot be learned. But I think that it is possible to learn, and use, phrases and what not. And then what about Neo Elvish, where linguists have taken Tolkein’s Language and added to it for modern tongues. My question is this: Learnable or not? What’s your opinion.
Tag: sindarin
what do you guys suppose the elven equivalent of “john doe” or “jane doe” is?
So basically you’re asking what the most common name is among Sindarin elves? Sort of like John Smith? (I’m asking because John Doe is really has more of a legal function which would change the focus of this post.) If so, I’ve got to say that’s a tricky question. Mostly because Tolkien says that elves… Continue reading what do you guys suppose the elven equivalent of “john doe” or “jane doe” is?
Elvish Profanity
Tolkien included very very very little swearing or profanity in his stories (which I talk a bit more about in this post), but being the dedicated linguist that he was, you’ve got to wonder if he created the words on the side anyway, right? Well, as far as I can tell, he didn’t create any… Continue reading Elvish Profanity
Ok I’d consider this a minor question, but I just recently found out that the word Sindarin is actually from Quenya and not Sindarin itself. This made me think about the whole translation process. I imagined that the stories known from middle earth were collected and written down by a sindarin scholar like a history book and therefore written down in Sindarin. But he wouldn’t have used the word Sindar to describe his people which lets me think why the English version suddenly uses Quenya again.
This question sort of has two different answers, so forgive the awkward structure: “Sindar” is a Quenya Name So, fun fact: the Sindar actually didn’t have a name for themselves. Because, after everyone else sailed west to Valinor, they basically figured they were the only elves around, so they simply called themselves the Edhil, the… Continue reading Ok I’d consider this a minor question, but I just recently found out that the word Sindarin is actually from Quenya and not Sindarin itself. This made me think about the whole translation process. I imagined that the stories known from middle earth were collected and written down by a sindarin scholar like a history book and therefore written down in Sindarin. But he wouldn’t have used the word Sindar to describe his people which lets me think why the English version suddenly uses Quenya again.
Anon asked: “Apparently, there are many Elvish languages and I can’t really get them straight. What languages are there, and where (and when) are they spoken?”
So, here you you! A little disclaimer: I didn’t put as much careful research into this as I might have, and it relies more heavily on secondary sources than I generally prefer. But Tolkien wrote so much on language that I could have been in the research stage of this post for weeks and still have tons of work to do. So consider this a sort of quick, casual guide to the realm of elvish linguistics.
PS: The maps are excerpts from Karen Wynn Fonstad’s Atlas of Middle Earth
PPS: I didn’t include any of the Sindarin-speaking men in these maps. Technically, the men of Gondor spoke Sindarin, but in their own dialect. But since they aren’t elves, I decided not to include them.
Guess who does NOT speak any elvish languages?
Yes, that’s right, it’s me. I’ve gotten a ton of requests for help translating things either to or from a variety of Tolkien’s languages this past week, and I’m sad to say that I have absolutely no talent in that area, so I really can’t help you. But, luckily I know someone who can (at… Continue reading Guess who does NOT speak any elvish languages?
A (Super Brief) Outline of Elvish Linguistic History
So, actually, Sindarin didn’t come from Quenya at all – the two languages share a common root in Common Eldarin, but each come from a separate branch of the languages that developed from that language. Probably the best example of the differences between the elvish languages (or, at least, the most-developed of these languages), is… Continue reading A (Super Brief) Outline of Elvish Linguistic History
The Galadhrim
The elves of Lorien, if they aren’t just called “the elves of Lorien” are called the Galadhrim. And the only reason I’m making this a full post, is that “Galadhrim” doesn’t actually have anything to do with Galadriel, and that’s so confusing for many readers that I figured I should explain it fully. Galadhrim is… Continue reading The Galadhrim
Dunedain Naming Traditions
(For the purpose of this post, I’m using “Dunedain” to refer to the Dunedain rangers of the north, and am ignoring the men of Gondor. Most of the information would probably be the same, but still. Only talking about ‘ole Arnor in this post.) Probably the strongest naming tradition of the Dunedain would be their… Continue reading Dunedain Naming Traditions
Use of Sindarin vs. Quenya
Answering your question requires a bit of a history lesson, so let’s get started! The earliest elves spoke Primitive Quendian, which eventually evolved into Common Eldarin (after the Avari split off.) Then, while the three groups of elves (the Vanyar, Noldor, and Teleri) traveled west towards Valinor, Common Eldarin split into two different languages. The… Continue reading Use of Sindarin vs. Quenya
askmiddlearth 