J.R.R. Tolkien discussion

The Lord of the Rings
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Middle-earth Generally > The Languages of Middle-earth

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Andreea Tiuca | 8 comments We well know that many people know a bit of Elvish or Khuzdul but I want to know if anyone in this AMAZING group knows anything in whatever Language of Tolkien.
I personally know two lines in Khuzdul: "Du Bekar" I think it means "To arms","Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul" and I don't mean it. This line means "I spit upon your grave".
And as always Elvish. I only know one word in Quenya,
"Namárië", Sindarin: "I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen, han mathon ne chae a han noston ned 'wilith." and "Frodo, im Arwen. Telin le thaed. Lasto beth nîn, tolo dan nan galad." and one of the easiest lines in Sindarin, "Noro lim, Asfaloth, noro lim!".


message 2: by Piotr (new)

Piotr I sing the Aragorn's coronation song on my way to schol for about a year now. that's realy weird ,although i find it comforting ;>


Andreea Tiuca | 8 comments I don't find that weird, besides I know the coronation only a bit and I think it's awesome that you know it and yes it is comforting and I think that was it's purpose in the scene not only the fact it's about Aragorn's ancestors!


message 4: by Juan (new)

Juan (juanmi) | 12 comments Hi. mmm... languages I´m making kind of a hobby study in tenguar. Have you heard about it? I´s the language of the elves.


Kevis Hendrickson (kevishendrickson) | 20 comments I'm linguistically challenged and still working on mastering English, which incidentally is the only language I know. I'll be following this thread closely. I just might learn a new Sindarin word or two to throw around in order to impress an Elf if I ever meet one. :)


message 6: by [deleted user] (new)

Actually, what Aragorn sings in his coronation are the words Elendil said when he arrived to Middle-Earth. And I do sing them eeeeevery time I watch the movie or I listen to the soundtrack :P
"Et eärello endorenna utúlien. Sinome maruvan al Hildinyar tenn' ambar-metta!"


message 7: by Juan (new)

Juan (juanmi) | 12 comments Erannë wrote: "Actually, what Aragorn sings in his coronation are the words Elendil said when he arrived to Middle-Earth. And I do sing them eeeeevery time I watch the movie or I listen to the soundtrack :P
"Et e..."


Do you have a translation?


message 8: by [deleted user] (new)

Yes: "Out of the Great Sea to Middle-Earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world."


message 9: by Juan (new)

Juan (juanmi) | 12 comments great! I like to compare original with translation. It´s an interesting way of studying this great language... Do you know the Tenguar Runes?


message 10: by [deleted user] (new)

I do, but I hardly ever use them, as I find it easier to write Quenya without them. Yeah, it's called laziness~ xD


message 11: by Juan (new)

Juan (juanmi) | 12 comments I love to write in Tenguar runes! They look awsome. I find interesting the way vowels are placed.


message 12: by [deleted user] (new)

I also find it interesting ^^ But usually I get lost in my own thoughts wondering how I should write this or that in Quenya or Sindarin xD


message 13: by Juan (new)

Juan (juanmi) | 12 comments Tenguar runes are feirly easy though, once you get used to them. I write in english with them sometimes, because I still haven´t had the chsnce to learn the language.


message 14: by Sophie (new)

Sophie (Ruiniel) | 2 comments I know a few bits of Sindarin,
Êl síla erin lû e-govaned vîn - a star shines on the hour of our meeting
Pedin i phith in aníron, a nin ú-cheniathog - I can say what I wish and you won't understand me
Sevig thú ûan - You smell like a monstero
ú-iston - I don't know
Mae govannen - well met! and,
Noro lim - run faster

I found these on an awesome website called realelvish.net


message 15: by Katherine (new)

Katherine | 15 comments Do you guys know a good way I could learn the languages and runes of Arda?


message 16: by Juan (new)

Juan (juanmi) | 12 comments Katherine wrote: "Do you guys know a good way I could learn the languages and runes of Arda?"

If it still interests you, an interesting way is looking at the script in elvish and then in translation. Slowly you can begin to see how both are similar and what each word in elvish means. You can also look for the gramar rules of elvish, which prove to be very useful.


message 17: by Wastrel (new)

Wastrel | 13 comments You'll have almost no chance at all of working out an entire language from comparing a few words side by side.

Instead, go to Ardalambion. Descriptions, dictionaries and courses, corpus analysis and links.

There are also some books on the subject - I have An Introduction to Elvish, Other Tongues, Proper Names and Writing Systems of the Third Age of the Western Lands of Middle-Earth as Set Forth in the Published Writings of Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, which is out of date but charmingly so.

(NB Tengwar aren't runes. Runes are specifically the angular alphabets designed for incision. In The Lord of the Rings the word is used for a specific writing system, the Cirth, distinct from Tengwar; in The Hobbit, cirth are represented by standard futhorc runes, because he hadn't invented his own forms yet.)


message 18: by Sue (new) - rated it 5 stars

Sue Bridgwater | 9 comments I'm not a Middle-earth linguist myself, but as a supplement to the excellent advice from Wastrel, visit this forum, where there are a lot of knowledgeable people who'd love to help.

ww.lotrplaza.com/forumdisplay.php?13-...


message 19: by Lauren (new)

Lauren | 11 comments I know a bit of elvish. I am not sure what kind though.
Mellod= friend
Estel= hope
Also a few other sentences that I have no idea how to spell. I know how to write in moon runes though. Sometimes I will write entire notes in them


message 20: by L (new) - rated it 5 stars

L | 132 comments I continue to be fascinated by Tolkien's fascination of language! Hahaha, Lol! ;D

Currently looking at - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Eng... and thinkin' about how the Dwarves write in Runes (link to Old English inscriptions?).

Or possibly also, how the languages within the context of Tolkien's timeline [slotted in our own historical continuum before 'present day' as such], could be in a way his stylistic approach to Middle-English?

*I don't know that much about this subject but already my mind is wondering..

I mean look at Tolkien's translation of Beowulf for instance -- connoting a Germanic language which might have been spoken by the people of Beowulf? Dunno if this is true or not?

I mean Tolkien was a specialist in Old English and Finnish languages wasn't he?! His inspiration for the languages of Middle-Earth, such as Elvish (Quenya, Sindarin) came from a fascination with linguistics.

Also, as a side note: I love the connections between - the Black Speech representing a dystopian parody of an international auxiliary language just as Sauron's rule over the Orcs is a dystopian parody of a totalitarian state!


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