donaldboozer
Case 5:Tolkien, right
(Top) The Lord of the Rings
Peter Jackson's Landmark Film Adaptation
New Zealand director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy released between 2001 and 2003 will most likely remain the definitive film adaptation of Tolkien’s work in most people’s minds for years to come. His meticulous attention to detail, his inclusion of authentic dialogue in Tolkien's imaginary languages, and his obvious love of the source material all combine to make the three films unforgettable. Nominated for a total of thirty Academy Awards and winning seventeen of them, the film trilogy was a success with both the popular and critical audiences. Recent news has been released that Peter Jackson will be producing a film version of Tolkien's The Hobbit as well as one other Tolkien-related film. The fans eagerly await them...
(Middle) Published originally in 1969, Bored of the Rings was a parody from the Harvard Lampoon of Tolkien’s work, although one which showed a keen knowledge of its subject matter. Tolkien’s languages were even given the Lampoon treatment. As an example, here is the Bored of the Rings version of “Namárie” or "Galadriel's Lament" found in The Fellowship of the Ring:
"Dago, Dago, Lassi Lima rintintin
Yanqui unicycle ramar rotoroot
Telstar aloha saarinen cloret
Stassen camaro impala desoto?
Gardol oleo telephon lumumbal
Chappaqua havatampa muriel
U canleada horsta wata, bwana,
Butyu canna makit drinque!
Comsat melba rubaiyat nirvana
Garcia y vega hiawatha aloo.
O mithra, mithra, I fain wud lie doon!
Valdaree valdera, que sera, sirrah,
Honi soit la vache qui rit.
Honi soit la vache qui rit."
("Oh the leaves are falling, the flowers are wilting, and the rivers are all going Republican. O Ramar, Ramar, ride quickly on your golden unicycle and warn the nymphs and drag queens! Ah, now who shall gather lichee nuts and make hoopla under the topiaries? Who will trim my unicorns? See, even now the cows laugh, Alas, alas." Chorus: "We are the chorus and we agree. We agree, we agree, we agree.")
(To bottom left of poster) Veggie Tales provided a take-off on The Lord of the Rings with its production of The Lord of the Beans: A Lesson in Using Your Gifts. This Veggie Tales episode relates the adventures of a flobbit [hobbit] named Toto Baggypants [Frodo Baggins] and his companions Randalf [Gandalf], Ear-A-Corn [Aragorn], Leg-O-Lamb [Legolas], and Grumpy [Gimli]. Along the road they are confronted by evil Sporks [Orcs] and other hazards. The conlang connection comes with a segment entitled "Silly Songs with Elves" wherein a fake Elvish singer (who looks suspiciously like Elvis) is berated by a real female cucumber-elf in “Elvish” (with subtitles).
(Bottom left) In addition to his complex languages connected with Middle-earth, Tolkien also created a language and writing system for his Christmas letters to his children written under the name of "Father Christmas." These annual correspondences from the North Pole were a Tolkien family tradition for years and are collected in The Father Christmas Letters. In one letter, Karhu the Polar Bear sent the children a letter in the "Goblin alphabet" and also revealed that the language spoken at the North Pole was Arctic. An example of Arctic was the sentence "Mára mesta an ni véla tye ento, ya rato nea" which meant "Goodbye till I see you next, and I hope it will be soon." Some will see a similarity between Arctic and Quenya. Here you see the Goblin alphabet and the letter that Karhu sent written in it.
(Bottom center) “A Secret Vice”
by J.R.R. Tolkien
One of the Founding Documents of Conlanging
Written in the early 1930s, “A Secret Vice” was J.R.R. Tolkien's apologia for language creation and was given as an address at a linguistics conference. Tolkien begins with praise for Esperanto and then goes on to relate his lifelong fascination with languages, his first attempts at language creation when a young boy, and his finding out that he was not the only “devotee” of the art during a boring camp lecture in World War I: “The man next to me said suddenly in a dreamy voice: ‘Yes, I think I shall express the accusative case by a prefix!’” Tolkien surmises that the man is only one of many “hidden craftsmen.”
“A Secret Vice” provides a succinct but important definition of “linguistic invention”:
“...the fitting of notion to oral symbol, and pleasure in contemplating the new relation established...”
Presaging the ideas in David J. Peterson’s "Conlang Manifesto" (see Exhibit Case #2), Tolkien goes on to say:
“In these invented languages the pleasure is more keen than it can be even in learning a new language...because more personal and fresh, more open to experiment of trial and error. And it is capable of developing into an art...”
Tolkien calls this new art “language-construction” or “the construction of imaginary languages.” The essay continues to define some other characteristics of these “play-languages” or “art-languages” until coming to some personal creations of Tolkien himself.
The essay ends with several poems Tolkien wrote in an early form of Elvish. Tolkien’s languages are inextricably wrapped up with the mythology he created for Middle-earth, the setting for The Lord of the Rings. In fact, he clearly states that this is unavoidable:
“the making of language and mythology are related functions; to give your language an individual flavour, it must have woven into it the threads of an individual mythology...your language construction will breed a mythology.”
In fact, in a letter to his son Christopher dated Feb. 21, 1958, Tolkien clearly says:
“Nobody believes me when I say that my long book [The Lord of the Rings] is an attempt to create a world in which a form of language agreeable to my personal aesthetic might seem real. But it is true. An enquirer (among many) asked what the L.R. was all about, and whether it was an allegory. And I said it was an effort to create a situation in which a common greeting would be elen si-'la lu-'menn omentielmo ['A star shines on the hour of our meeting'], and that the phrase long antedated the book.”
For those who wish to read “A Secret Vice” in its entirety, it can be found in the book The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays in Cleveland Public Library’s Literature Department.
(Bottom right) Tree of Tongues
Tolkien's own sketch of the interrelationships among the languages in his family of Elvish tongues. (Source: The Lost Road and Other Writings, History of Middle-earth series, vol. 5, p. 156.)
The Babel Text in Quenya
1.Ar ilya ambar arne er lambe ar quetie.
2.Ar martane, lelyentasse romenna, i hirnente nanda noresse Shinar; ar marnante tasse.
3.Ar quentante ilenilenen, "Lel, karealve (*brick*), ar urtealve te ilyave." Ar arnente (*brick*) ve ondo, ar(*bitumen*) arnente ve (*mortar*).
4.Ar quentente, "Lel, karealve osto, ar mindon, yo telme na menenna, ar karealve esselva; ikoi uu rernar nealve or ilya ambarwa."
5.Ar Eru nu-lende velienna i-osto ar i-mindon, ya i-atanion hini akarnente.
6.Ar Eru quente, "Vela, nante er lie, ar ilyar arante er lambe; ar sina na ya yestanente; ar si u avatanar nuvante (*any*) karyiello, yan noante.
7.Lel, nu-lendean, ar tasse handutean lambenta, ikoi uu hanyeante ilenilenwa quentie."
8.Take Eru rerne te pallave tallo or ambar; ar pustanente karie i-osto.
9.Take esserwa yenne Babel, ike Eru tasse handunte i-lambe ilya ambarwa; ar tallo Eru rerne te or i-ambar.
Translated by Anthony Appleyard (with emendations by Michael Poxon)
(www.langmaker.com/babel/quenya.htm)
Case 5:Tolkien, right
(Top) The Lord of the Rings
Peter Jackson's Landmark Film Adaptation
New Zealand director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy released between 2001 and 2003 will most likely remain the definitive film adaptation of Tolkien’s work in most people’s minds for years to come. His meticulous attention to detail, his inclusion of authentic dialogue in Tolkien's imaginary languages, and his obvious love of the source material all combine to make the three films unforgettable. Nominated for a total of thirty Academy Awards and winning seventeen of them, the film trilogy was a success with both the popular and critical audiences. Recent news has been released that Peter Jackson will be producing a film version of Tolkien's The Hobbit as well as one other Tolkien-related film. The fans eagerly await them...
(Middle) Published originally in 1969, Bored of the Rings was a parody from the Harvard Lampoon of Tolkien’s work, although one which showed a keen knowledge of its subject matter. Tolkien’s languages were even given the Lampoon treatment. As an example, here is the Bored of the Rings version of “Namárie” or "Galadriel's Lament" found in The Fellowship of the Ring:
"Dago, Dago, Lassi Lima rintintin
Yanqui unicycle ramar rotoroot
Telstar aloha saarinen cloret
Stassen camaro impala desoto?
Gardol oleo telephon lumumbal
Chappaqua havatampa muriel
U canleada horsta wata, bwana,
Butyu canna makit drinque!
Comsat melba rubaiyat nirvana
Garcia y vega hiawatha aloo.
O mithra, mithra, I fain wud lie doon!
Valdaree valdera, que sera, sirrah,
Honi soit la vache qui rit.
Honi soit la vache qui rit."
("Oh the leaves are falling, the flowers are wilting, and the rivers are all going Republican. O Ramar, Ramar, ride quickly on your golden unicycle and warn the nymphs and drag queens! Ah, now who shall gather lichee nuts and make hoopla under the topiaries? Who will trim my unicorns? See, even now the cows laugh, Alas, alas." Chorus: "We are the chorus and we agree. We agree, we agree, we agree.")
(To bottom left of poster) Veggie Tales provided a take-off on The Lord of the Rings with its production of The Lord of the Beans: A Lesson in Using Your Gifts. This Veggie Tales episode relates the adventures of a flobbit [hobbit] named Toto Baggypants [Frodo Baggins] and his companions Randalf [Gandalf], Ear-A-Corn [Aragorn], Leg-O-Lamb [Legolas], and Grumpy [Gimli]. Along the road they are confronted by evil Sporks [Orcs] and other hazards. The conlang connection comes with a segment entitled "Silly Songs with Elves" wherein a fake Elvish singer (who looks suspiciously like Elvis) is berated by a real female cucumber-elf in “Elvish” (with subtitles).
(Bottom left) In addition to his complex languages connected with Middle-earth, Tolkien also created a language and writing system for his Christmas letters to his children written under the name of "Father Christmas." These annual correspondences from the North Pole were a Tolkien family tradition for years and are collected in The Father Christmas Letters. In one letter, Karhu the Polar Bear sent the children a letter in the "Goblin alphabet" and also revealed that the language spoken at the North Pole was Arctic. An example of Arctic was the sentence "Mára mesta an ni véla tye ento, ya rato nea" which meant "Goodbye till I see you next, and I hope it will be soon." Some will see a similarity between Arctic and Quenya. Here you see the Goblin alphabet and the letter that Karhu sent written in it.
(Bottom center) “A Secret Vice”
by J.R.R. Tolkien
One of the Founding Documents of Conlanging
Written in the early 1930s, “A Secret Vice” was J.R.R. Tolkien's apologia for language creation and was given as an address at a linguistics conference. Tolkien begins with praise for Esperanto and then goes on to relate his lifelong fascination with languages, his first attempts at language creation when a young boy, and his finding out that he was not the only “devotee” of the art during a boring camp lecture in World War I: “The man next to me said suddenly in a dreamy voice: ‘Yes, I think I shall express the accusative case by a prefix!’” Tolkien surmises that the man is only one of many “hidden craftsmen.”
“A Secret Vice” provides a succinct but important definition of “linguistic invention”:
“...the fitting of notion to oral symbol, and pleasure in contemplating the new relation established...”
Presaging the ideas in David J. Peterson’s "Conlang Manifesto" (see Exhibit Case #2), Tolkien goes on to say:
“In these invented languages the pleasure is more keen than it can be even in learning a new language...because more personal and fresh, more open to experiment of trial and error. And it is capable of developing into an art...”
Tolkien calls this new art “language-construction” or “the construction of imaginary languages.” The essay continues to define some other characteristics of these “play-languages” or “art-languages” until coming to some personal creations of Tolkien himself.
The essay ends with several poems Tolkien wrote in an early form of Elvish. Tolkien’s languages are inextricably wrapped up with the mythology he created for Middle-earth, the setting for The Lord of the Rings. In fact, he clearly states that this is unavoidable:
“the making of language and mythology are related functions; to give your language an individual flavour, it must have woven into it the threads of an individual mythology...your language construction will breed a mythology.”
In fact, in a letter to his son Christopher dated Feb. 21, 1958, Tolkien clearly says:
“Nobody believes me when I say that my long book [The Lord of the Rings] is an attempt to create a world in which a form of language agreeable to my personal aesthetic might seem real. But it is true. An enquirer (among many) asked what the L.R. was all about, and whether it was an allegory. And I said it was an effort to create a situation in which a common greeting would be elen si-'la lu-'menn omentielmo ['A star shines on the hour of our meeting'], and that the phrase long antedated the book.”
For those who wish to read “A Secret Vice” in its entirety, it can be found in the book The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays in Cleveland Public Library’s Literature Department.
(Bottom right) Tree of Tongues
Tolkien's own sketch of the interrelationships among the languages in his family of Elvish tongues. (Source: The Lost Road and Other Writings, History of Middle-earth series, vol. 5, p. 156.)
The Babel Text in Quenya
1.Ar ilya ambar arne er lambe ar quetie.
2.Ar martane, lelyentasse romenna, i hirnente nanda noresse Shinar; ar marnante tasse.
3.Ar quentante ilenilenen, "Lel, karealve (*brick*), ar urtealve te ilyave." Ar arnente (*brick*) ve ondo, ar(*bitumen*) arnente ve (*mortar*).
4.Ar quentente, "Lel, karealve osto, ar mindon, yo telme na menenna, ar karealve esselva; ikoi uu rernar nealve or ilya ambarwa."
5.Ar Eru nu-lende velienna i-osto ar i-mindon, ya i-atanion hini akarnente.
6.Ar Eru quente, "Vela, nante er lie, ar ilyar arante er lambe; ar sina na ya yestanente; ar si u avatanar nuvante (*any*) karyiello, yan noante.
7.Lel, nu-lendean, ar tasse handutean lambenta, ikoi uu hanyeante ilenilenwa quentie."
8.Take Eru rerne te pallave tallo or ambar; ar pustanente karie i-osto.
9.Take esserwa yenne Babel, ike Eru tasse handunte i-lambe ilya ambarwa; ar tallo Eru rerne te or i-ambar.
Translated by Anthony Appleyard (with emendations by Michael Poxon)
(www.langmaker.com/babel/quenya.htm)