The Languages of the Lord of the Rings: An (Almost) Complete Guide

Secure your privacy with Surfshark! Enter coupon code SHIRE for an extra 3 months free at surfshark.deals/SHIRE
Tolkien's fictional languages are one of the most iconic parts of his legendarium. Today, I talk all about them!
Support me on Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=83474753
Donate to my tip jar: ko-fi.com/parttimehobbit12870
Follow me on Instagram: / jess_of_the_shire
Contact me: [e-mail]
Music by Epidemic Sound. Check out my referral link here: share.epidemicsound.com/yz6hu0

[@sagequerido266]

Your rendition of Galadriel's farewell gave me chills and brought a tear to my eye 🥹

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

You're so kind!

[@rbecker9679]

Agree, Nice Voice :)

[@jerichogonzales1290]

​@@Jess_of_the_Shire þin voš h'teš mirak, sim a siren. Żih þu ha þen ğindern, þa klanes mutr va şiŋe þæn šlefßuŋ ov groses šèrnın.💯

[@JohanHolmbergMalmo]

​@@jerichogonzales1290Hey, I grasp that! Which language is that?

[@jerichogonzales1290]

@@JohanHolmbergMalmo proto west indo european. Curious as to what you think I meant.

[@russellpalmieri4192]

Ok, who else needs full covers of Tolkien's songs from Jess now?

[@paulm.8660]

I love that she uses the high chant setting for this. I learned the entire so that I could sing it to my son when I read Fellowship aloud to him

[@pendragon2012]

And this is why his names of places and people seem so real. Modern fantasists just seem to smash random sounds together. Have a good weekend, Jess!

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Absolutely! Have a great weekend

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

To be fair though most fantasy writers aren't professional linguists, although they could always get in touch with linguists for advice.

[@genghisgalahad8465]

​@@sebastianevangelista4921 to be fair, i did mishear so many things in LotR,:FotR including "Crebain from Dunland" initially as "crab 🦀 hinds from Dublin? 🍺 " and "Osh Kosh B'gosh" when Gandalf utters the speech of Mordor at the council...

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

@@genghisgalahad8465 Fictional languages are often hard to pick up without transcripts.

[@douglasball4515]

The “keyboard smash”, with a dash of apostrophes is a problem in sci-fi, too. Won’t someone just ask the linguists to help out?!

[@cantpleasonist]

Your singing is amazing.

[@mintercondition]

"Language is music". It's interesting that he brought his universe to life through language, and within that universe, Eru and the Ainur brought the world to life through music.

[@markdocherty6153]

Yes, and also language is the main vehicle for "magical" power in Middle Earth. Gandalf telling the Balrog it shall not pass, say "friend" and enter, the inscription on the ring. Words made and can remake the world.

[@RingsLoreMaster]

Tolkien scholar Flieger (to paraphrase) observed that Tolkien understood that "spell" is both verb and noun. The thing, the proper spelling of a word along with the act, the casting of whatever the spell casts.

[@markdocherty6153]

@@RingsLoreMaster I'm interested to know more about how spelling plays a part?

[@Byronic19134]

@@markdocherty6153Language is magic in real life because it is through words we interpret the world, the easiest example is how euphanisms are used to make horrific acts seem okay, but there is a whole deep rabbit hole on how language is used as part of the control system that dates as far back as the Kabbalah.

[@markdocherty6153]

@Byronic19134 there are whole sections in libraries devoted to linguistic theories but we're here commenting on a LOTR video and that's its own wonderful thing. Middle-Earth is literally and figuratively made from language and magic in Middle-Earth is the same. I find that beautiful. And Tolkien, I think, also venerated language in song in particular, so whenever Jess uses her gift for singing in these videos it elevates that experience even more.

[@jonasholzer4422]

You singing in Quenya was absolutely stunning 😮

[@neodigremo]

Tolkien is not a mere Nerd. He is more than the ideal of Nerds. He is simply the Tolkien. The Master of Middle Earth. He is what the normal gods of nerds look upon for inspiration. Anyway good vid. Lovely as always to see the appreciation for the craft he brought to his languages. It was, after all, his day job.

[@galaxya40s95]

Talkien?

[@curtislindsey1736]

I just started listening to The Lord of the Rings on audible. Andy Serkis narrates them and holy crap he knocks it out of the park. It's giving me a whole new appreciation for the books!

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I love his audiobooks!

[@L2p2]

@@Jess_of_the_Shire you should do the singing for Audible!

[@L2p2]

Does he also do the singing ?

[@curtislindsey1736]

@@L2p2 yes he does, most of it's good., not the Tom Bombadil songs though

[@htilden42]

Honestly Tolkien's own love of language is the main thing that got me into wanting to create languages of my own. I know I'll never reach the level of beauty and depth that Tolkien gave to his own creations, but I still find his work inspiring and it makes me want to always keep trying and learning new things.

[@fermintenava5911]

Same here. It's hard enough to come up with enough words for one language, let alone the language groups and how they evolved.

[@arnorrian1]

I love writing with Tengwar. Its phonetic nature fits perfectly with my native Serbian. And its featural nature makes it pretty easy to learn. Both the regular mode and the mode of Beleriand are nice and free-flowing.

[@allisongliot]

10:42 I love how the melody you used has a similar intonation to Latin monastic chants-it feels so appropriate for quenya.

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

Interesting observation there!

[@ZephyrOptional]

You could dedicate a whole channel to singing in elvish. I get shivers listening to these languages sung or spoken beautifully and your voice is very beautiful. ❤

[@andyuphill]

I agree, let's start a petition!

[@d.ryanwebb1166]

Modern (Standard) Arabic also retains the dual. Excellent video! .فيديو ممتاز! .العربية ( الفصحى الحديثة) ايضا لا زالت تحتفظ المثنلى

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

"Tolkien didn't want to create a language out of some kind of purely academic urge. It was his obsession ever since childhood. The guy wrote fanfic languages as a teenager. This was a passion, and a man who has Beren and Luthien on his and his wife's gravestone is not a guy who is not engaged with his fictions." - Kieron Gillen I never tire of your singing, Jess! It's just so soothing. If you want to cite proof of Tolkien's languages being cool to non nerds then I would bring up the awesome fact that the melodic death metal band Amon Amarth got their name from the Sindarin name for Mount Doom (also more than a few black metal bands have gotten their names from Black Speech, but I'm not that into black metal and find that fact more interesting than the actual bands haha). Speaking of Black Speech, a Book vs Movie episode on Sauron and an (Almost) Complete Guide episode on Orcs could be really cool, especially the latter given just how much the internet loves to angrily debate Tolkien's depictions of race (there's an entire wiki page titled "Tolkien and race"). I would say that Black Speech might be my favorite as well, Jess, largely because evil naturally entails a certain amount of drama and Black Speech is kind of grandiose in just how dramatic it is. PS there's an essay by John Molyneux titled 'A Marxist View of Tolkien’s Middle Earth" that I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on! It's wonderfully nuanced when it comes to the matter of enjoying the works of someone who you don't entirely agree with.

[@Oakleaf012]

I’ve always been very partial to the sound of Sindarin, although Quenya has a certain magic to it. I also find Finnish to be utterly enchanting so I can see why Tolkien was so inspired by it. Also I loved hearing you sing in Elvish, what a treat! ❤

[@horseenthusiast1250]

Absolutely agreed! While my favourite of Tolkien's languages is Rohirric (I've always loved Rohan and I find the sound of Rohirric to be beautiful and stirring in a sort of wild way, contrasting with the more harmonious sounds of Sindarin and Quenya), the elvish languages sound like silk to me. I don't speak or read Finnish, but I learned a little bit when I was in a choir, and find it to be so fun to pronounce and wonderfully pleasing to the ear. For some reason, it reminds me of doves (no idea why, but there you have it).

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Sindarin is so gorgeous!

[@HectorRoldan]

There's something about Elf Song that's so soothing~ ❤

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Agreed! Tolkien's languages are musical in every way

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

@@Jess_of_the_Shire Given how Middle-Earth was sung into existence that would indeed check out! Music is powerful in Tolkien's world.

[@robdgaming]

Jess sings Tolkien's songs very well. I'd like to hear more of her singing. She asked about pronunciation; it's difficult with Tolkien. When I first delved into the LOTR appendices, I found that my assumed pronunciations of many words were quite different from Tolkien's. I once spent quite a while analyzing the Elvish letters to determine the pronunciation of his (second) middle name of Reuel on the book's title page. I came up with "Rell".

[@1Phoenixness]

@@Jess_of_the_Shire Jess, beside the fact that your voice is amazing, have you ever tried learning any of the Celtic languages? They have some crazy mechanisms that take some time for the brain to get around (my brain took a year for mutations to soak in while learning Irish)... and they are definitely not easy but... I was enchanted by Welsh (and also a bit by Irish) as much as I was with Sindarin :) And... there are more living native speakers and less... unfinished grammar and vocabulary than with Tolkien's tongues. (As much as I love them :) ) Oh and of course... learning mutations in Welsh or Irish can help you with them in Sindarin... not the most direct road but, it might help :)

[@SNWWRNNG]

Sindarin does not descend from Quenya. Their common ancestor, Common Eldarin, split up into dialects on the Great March. The Vanyar and Noldor walked further ahead and their CE dialect developed into Quenya, while the Teleri who stuck around with Thingol had their Telerin dialect (Common Telerin) develop into Sindarin.

[@fatherhanktree2011]

Great video,Jess,many thanks! For me the great linguistic irony of LotR is that the Westron,the language that Bilbo,Frodo,Sam,Gaffer Gamgee,but also Aragorn,Gandalf and even Denethor spoke in their day to day lives,is actually the one we see/hear least of,since English(or Spanish,German,French etc. in the various translations) is the language that does duty for the Common Speech. I think Tolkien remarks somewhere that Adunaic and ,consequently, Westron ,had a semitic feel...it would have been fascinating to hear a few snatches of this everyday speech of our heroes and old friends.

[@karlkutac1800]

In the Tengwar script, there was a relationship between the stems and the curves of the various representations of letters. Tolkien said that the separation (in our alphabet) of the letter B and P would make no sense to the elves. They're similar - voiced and unvoiced, but formed in a similar way

[@tisucitisin1]

I don't know if it's on the interwebs, but if not, I would love it if Jess made a compilation of all her interpretations of Tolkien's songs.

[@joseraulcapablanca8564]

that was good stuff jess, nice singing too. tolkien himself when he reads the ring inscription is very impressive with the darkness he gets into it. i just want to mention a couple of things. before becoming a professor at Oxford he was professor at Leeds university. there he lived in the Woodhouse district, being a philoloøist he soon found out that the area was not named after a house in the woods but sfter wood woses the wild men of the wood like Ghan Buri Ghan. The other thing is the elderly soldier who collects trops for the siege of Helms deep is called Gamling, in Norwegian en gamling means an old man and people often refer to their fathers or someone else father as gamling. Thanks for what you do.

[@RingsLoreMaster]

Wow! " Gamilng" and the etymology of " Samwise ". Of course there are others, some such cases are pointed out to the reader. Bilbo explains that " Dunedin " means Man of the West.

[@gleann_cuilinn]

tolkiens languages are what made me get into conlanging about 10 years ago and eventually to major in linguistics at university with a focus on Historical Linguistics (philology in Tolkien's day). since then ive created a bunch of languages and i also find myself dreaming up fictional lands and peoples and histories to speak them. my influences are Asian languages like Mongolian and Korean and Turkish and Evenki and Mannchu, as well as the languages of Polynesia and some languages of the Americas like Quechua, Nahuatl, Ojibwe, and Greenlandic. The passage about coming across a fully stocked winecellar is so relatable for me. I always feel like that when I learn a new language.

[@etienneporras7252]

I *will* say, there are *far* more than "two" branches of Elven. Quenya and Sindarin are the two languages he fully developed, but there are *many* Elven languages that are sparingly used such as the name "Legolas" being Sylvan and "Gwaith-i-Myrdain" being Laiquendi.

[@fermintenava5911]

"Legolas" became Sylvan later - it was first used for a Elvish commander in the Battle of Gondolin.

[@etienneporras7252]

Which is not to say it can't be both​@@fermintenava5911

[@horseenthusiast1250]

Yay! I was hoping for a video like this. While I've never learned how to speak or write much of any of Tolkien's languages (though when I was a homeschooled elementary schooler, my parents made a valiant effort to teach me Sindarin, and I have an abiding love for Rohan and what little Rohirric we hear), I also make historically inspired fantasy languages for fun (though I make up a story and world first), so it's nice to have linguistic work that's similar to kind of measure against (even if the vibes of my languages, worlds, and stories are VERY different from Tolkien's). Somewhat relatedly, a big thanks to all the people who compile vocabulary lists and online dictionaries of stuff like Thracian or PIE. I appreciate it A LOT for historical study (my foremost hobby! I am the kind of nerd who thinks going crazy about who Sabazios was syncretised with and how I can not trust Herodotus is a fun way to spend a Friday evening. Or reading Mesopotamian letters, if I want a chiller vibe), and hope that as other, more obscure languages and cultures continue to be studied, we might see more such information free to access (and it's a pipe dream, but two of my biggest archeological/linguistic wishes are that within my lifetime, Linear A will be deciphered and we find some hidden Carthaginian books somewhere).

[@philcrook5256]

The Dwarven language has the best sound I think. Great content, you're quickly becoming becoming my favourite channel. I'm making my way through your early work, you've come a long way, no more filming from the kitchen floor and taping your phone to the ceiling. Did you ever bake that dragon tall cake from your Farmer Giles of Ham video?

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Not yet! Maybe next Christmas though. I really appreciate you checking out my old videos!

[@DrFranklynAnderson]

If I ever get a chance to ask super-Tolkien geek Stephen Colbert a trivia question, I'd ask him to name all five main hobbits from LotR/tH... in the original Westron. 😁

[@nathanpayne6765]

Good heavens! I was fast in getting to this! I'm looking forward to watching it, I love linguistics!

[@Oakleaf012]

Same I’ve never been so early before but LINGUISTICS

[@jimluebke3869]

Speaking of runes - for the maps and other graphics in The Hobbit, he uses a mix of Elder and Younger Futhark. This system is also used in the _Ultima_ series of computer games (IV - VI).

[@markdocherty6153]

Great video Jess, you've really grown as a creator. Your ability to act and sing sets you apart from other creators and so it's great when you leap into that.

[@Indra-Ant]

Dear Jess in a chair. Such a delight every time you sing. I dug how you used different singing styles for the different languages. I thought I was back in church for a second there.

[@caseyhamm4292]

my favorite part about tolkien’s philological easter eggs is that all the time i will be rereading lotr and realize that even though he doesn’t delineate what all the place names translate to, because i’ve been reading long enough to know a smattering of sindarin and quenya, i’ll go ‘oh my gosh i know what that means!’ such an incredible level of cohesion

[@meta1587]

you are my favorite little cozy youtuber. Such comfy videos

[@darrenalmgren634]

What’s interesting about the runes is in the hobbit, at least on Thror’s map, the runes are used more or less as a Boy Scout cipher, where the English letters are replaced with the runic symbols - noted that these are generally the letters the edler futhark runes that they are based on are directly related to. So it’s basically English written in a different font. But it’s interesting that he went with it thus, since the hobbit is supposed to be a kids book, a fairy tale, so its a way to let kids still find amazement with the runes while still being able to comprehend what they say. Personally, the runes on Thror’s map, and the Dragonology version of them, introduced me to things like Norse myth and instill a love of these runes. I just love the art deco style of them and how that was expanded on in the design implemented for the dwarves, and how that became standard for dwarf representation. I even made a whole font from the runes for my word processor, so I could have a copy of my retelling of Fafnir’s myth in the runes. Though it is just an English cipher representation rather than a translation, it’s still fun to go through.

[@burkhardstackelberg1203]

@jess, your pronunciation of the One Ring's inscription had an eerie beauty, creeping coldly into the bones - yes, I tend to say, I could hear the love you gave that language.

[@burkhardstackelberg1203]

Probably this is what the inscription would have sounded like, if Galadriel would have read it: Utter beauty, harsh and cold, a cruel justice.

[@BogdanFB9]

Your voice is so... so angellike. Thanks for the rendition of Galadriel's farewell.

[@iannicholson5107]

I was talking to an old friend once involved in English academe. I myself in passing have known some vice chancellors of English universities. There is an exactitude about these gentlemen, always in those far off days gentlemen. There is an academic practice to their literature, admirable in its way. Tolkien was teaching classes. There is an air, to conflate the religious, of archdeaconry, if you want to understand Tolkien look at the very structures of education that birthed and nurtured him. There was, long ago, an English character actor, Robertson Hare. Seriously who is ever called Robertson these days. He effectively played Tolken for decades. His catchphrase was Oh Calsmity. Something we might all consider in the face of goblins in Moria. As always, thanks for the work.

[@henryblunt8503]

"Sherry, Bishop?"

[@iannicholson5107]

@@henryblunt8503 You sir are a gentleman and one most happily possessed of a memory that would rival the elves.

[@iannicholson5107]

@@henryblunt8503 Despite his reliance on other mythologies Tolkien remains quintessentially an Englishman. A child, or rather young man, of the First World War. If anybody is reading Tolken I would suggest that they read his early and uneasy precursor Eddison. When Tolkien was first published the only companero that reviewers could find was The Worm Ourouborous. Lord Gro, a villain mayhap, forever defined by his phrase. What have I done wrong? Good damn question if I may essay the metaphysical we might all ask. Spoiler alert he gets decapitated shortly afterwards.

[@henryblunt8503]

@@iannicholson5107 I couldn't get very far at all with "The Worm Ouroboros". I dislike the "Gothic" quality. I'd say William Morris was closer to Tolkien in mode.

[@iannicholson5107]

@@henryblunt8503 I obviously agree. If it ain't baroque don't fix it. After the first one hundred pages you are either going to shoot yourself or finish the novel. It could have gone either way in my case. As always a pleasure.

[@beestings22]

Oh wow! A video tailored just to me (a linguist studying for a bachelors degree and assisting with PHD research that got into linguistics specifically because of Tolkien). Creating languages is so much fun and he inspired me to do it myself! Would absolutely love any more videos on this topic (or something like chakobsa from dune) if you have it in you. Also highly recommend the book “a secret vice” to anyone who wants to know more about his love of language.

[@BanazirGalpsi1968]

I could see a synthesiser combining tiko drums, tubas,whale speech, frog croacks, wood noises slowed down, wookie roars and ancient pipe organ voices of all sorts in a multilayered voice for ents.

[@BanazirGalpsi1968]

Has Zimmer has the synth that could do it .

[@MikaelOdqvist]

I love that you sang and read out the different languages. Sounded beautifully ;).

[@hglundahl]

26:26 As you lay be aware, Helge Fauskanger has a course, I once learned all the 240 glosses on it along with a near complete grammar (the notion of "if" not being part of the Tolkienian Corpus of LotR style Quenya).

[@dhaucoin]

I have a book I've compiled of various writing systems, mostly as 'flavor' during my LARPing days. The only Sindarin I can still recall was Frodo's greeting to a group of Elves in the early days of the hobbits' trek to Rivendell- 'Elèn silá lumenn omentielvo' 'A star shines upon the hour of our meeting' Thank you, Ruth Noel, for compiling an Elvish dictionary, of sorts, 'The Languages of Tolkein's Middle-Earth'

[@alicelund147]

Nice singing.

[@andrewbutler7681]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm so used to hearing "Namárië" sung a particular way beside the Professor's grave on the Sunday of numerous Tolkien Society Oxonmoots, that I found hearing it with a different tune quite startling... (I did also recite it, rather than sing it, once in The Turf Tavern to someone from Lithuania!)

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Haha I get that! I hope it wasn't too alarming. Thanks for watching!

[@AndromedaStormcrow-yf1tg]

I am working on my own fantasy setting and have found a very similar fascination with aspects of my creation. For me it is history and warfare. I care about things like the regimental facings and uniform of the Dwarven military. Which guns what cultures use and how magic has affected the development of things like firearms, communcations technology, and military medicine. I wrote an extensive journal entry about the distribution and manufacturing of healing potions for military use. And thoroughly enjoyed every second of it! I'm working on the story of my settings equvilant of the 1st world war so there are a lot of little details. And I also have some strange qualms, for example I hate automatic weapons and am trying to justify their absence. I think this is just a thing for creative nerds in general, we all have our weird favorite things. it's just really fun to learn about a person you admire greatly having similar quirks to you

[@fortyofforty5257]

Tolkien can be appreciated on so many levels. Perhaps that's why we love it so much, and can appreciate it at various stages of our lives. He draws us in with the depth of the stories. They are as "real" as any work of history you can read, except for the fact that it is completely made up. Anyone whose work can be "cartoonized" as well as performed with extreme drama must be doing something right. My first reading of Tolkien was as a young teenager. As a near-geezer, it's probably time for me to pick up his work again. I told my wife (a non-native English speaker) to read Tokien if she wants to read a master of the English language craft sentences and paragraphs into works of art. I have to add a comment about your singing. It takes an enormous amount of courage to sing, on camera or in front of people. However, you do a great job. You've got a wonderful singing voice.

[@RingsLoreMaster]

And did your wife read any of token's works?

[@fortyofforty5257]

@@RingsLoreMaster No, she has no interest at all in "fantasy" works. It is not her thing at all.

[@RingsLoreMaster]

@@fortyofforty5257 there's always Agatha Christie or Charles Dickens. :)

[@fortyofforty5257]

@@RingsLoreMaster Indeed, although their mastery of the English language is not on the same level as Tolkien.

[@bobjames5907]

That rendition of Namarie took me off guard, in a very good way! It seemed so familiar, it sounded like listening to liturgical plainchant. Did you craft that melody just for this video, and were you at least somewhat inspired by church music? You do great work Jess, keep at it!

[@gabriellawrence6598]

Tolkien was one of the influences that inspured me to study languages. Just recently I've found out that Tolkien didn't publish much material on the languages he created. Maybe he had them well-developed inside his head, but the longest sample we have of any of his langs is the Namárië poem.

[@ghyslainabel]

19:55 I am sorry to say, your angelic voice does not have the necessary harshness to convey the ugliness of the Black Speech. You were on the verge of making it sound beautiful. Great video!

[@whatkatyread5166]

I enjoyed hearing mention of both Thingol and Feanor, since Feanor is what we nearly called our cat and Thingol is what his name is now. 😊

[@danielpenney1455]

Extra special thanks for this vid! Despite reading Tolkien more than fifty years, the significance of the languages never dawned on me. They were just the passages I didn't know how to pronounce, so I skipped over them to see if they were translated. This information adds greatly to my appreciation of the depth of the work. :)

[@infov0y]

An unexpected pleasure to discover your channel through Parker's. It feels like a Middle Earth age away, but back in the late 90s I read The Silmarillion, obsessively followed by all twelve volumes of The History of ME,; but have forgotten much of it since. This - and watching through some of your content - brought everything flooding back. There really is no secondary world as deep as Tolkien's (or at least any I'm aware of!). Thanks!

[@RyanControl]

I love your current format and the thought you put into your detailed and well spoken explanatory videos. That being said, you wouldn't go wrong with also having a few short music videos that are just you singing.

[@animistchannel]

Your interpretation of Galadriel's song was so moving! Moreover, your presentations of "storytelling about storytelling" have become an art form unto itself, and it is to the benefit of all who are graced to hear it. To be both indwelt within the context and simultaneously aware of it as a context runs as deep as any musings of the mystic. True storytelling is not just describing what was there and what happened, but also sharing what that experience meant, how it moved, so that it may be the meaning and movement that are shared as much as any merely physical experience alone. It is in sharing the inspirations as well as the facts of the experience that we find communion... binding both ourselves to the Nature of that moment, and to the imagery and impressions that that moment might make upon another; and it is in this sharing of the deeper impressions that we may find true communion with one another. Anyone may notice that there are ducks and swans upon the lake, and it is simply a report of dull momentary facts. It is when that impression become the story of "The Ugly Duckling" or "Swan Lake" that we may truly meet each other there, beyond the raw sensation. This is the communion of Spirit, the meanings and connections beyond what is merely real. Thank you so much for continuing to share you own insights into such matters of Spirit through the Story.

[@andyuphill]

As so many other people have said, your singing is beautiful and I really hope you can let us hear more of it in future.

[@spacedaze1860]

Wow! I already loved your content as a Tolkien nerd, myself, but your singing! I just needed to tell you that you have one of the prettiest voices. Truly beautiful! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your art!

[@edamamame4U]

This was so wonderfully researched and informative. As a fellow language nerd who attempted to teach myself Tengwar when I was in high-school, I truly enjoyed this guide. Also, your rendition of Galadriel's farewell song was gorgeous-- you have a lovely voice!

[@elfchild9]

I tried learning Sindarin in middle school, but I was totally unprepared for how much work it is to teach yourself a language - especially one with minimal resources and speakers. I kept a few words and phrases, though, and my best friend and I greeted each other with "Suilad, mellon nin!" all through high school. Also, top tier singing. :) Jess of the Shire elvish sing-along when?

[@laurenbernstein621]

7:54 the Finnish miniseries has its limitations but hearing the dialogue in Finnish was really interesting - it just felt closer to the "real thing" for Westron IMO

[@matiasmuller9801]

This is the first video of yours that I saw and as soon as you started singing I subscribed. It was beautiful!

[@L2p2]

Oh and I love your singing! I used to skips the songs in the books because they were too long! But if someone sang them like you do, I could listen to all of them on repeat !

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

Songs are definitely meant to be sung and listened to as opposed to merely read. The fact that these songs were presented purely as textual lyrics explains why many audiences are split on them.

[@L2p2]

@@sebastianevangelista4921 yup i think you hit the nail on the head. While reading a story it kind of broke the flow. Its different if i was on a really long trek or at the end of long day of work or play to rest up and listen to songs. But not when Frodo Baggins has not yet reached Rivendell and The nine riders along with Orcs and Warg Riders are in hot pursuit. I mean that just gave me a new idea. In the audible version of the Book one should have a button to listen to the songs sung in prior chapter before gong to bed !!! Sebatian look what you did !

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

@@L2p2 👍 If we ever get another adaptation then maybe they could have the songs played over their original scenes instead of presenting the story of a quasi musical.

[@samsherwood8332]

Yesss 🤩 It’s honestly completely unsurprising that I went from a huge fan of LOTR as a child to someone finishing up their MA degree in linguistics!

[@fyshnstyx5510]

Thank you. What a joy to watch! Keep up the good work Jess!

[@jimsweeney]

It was wonderful to hear you put a voice to Tolkien's words. The music that evoked was truly magical.

[@corvid...]

I always love your Almost Complete videos, super excited to watch this new one. 😊

[@michaelreeves2793]

Just found this channel. She has some of the most detailed and well written analyses of Tolkien I’ve seen. What a nerd. 10/10

[@StephenPhantom]

Yeah the Dark Speech is interesting, i have made an angular script for it that takes from mesoamerican style runes i use it to fill the backgrounds of ancient ruins and portraits of witches, also its one speech that i have practices somewhat in my incarnation as a death metal artist, to dispel evil as Gandalf does in the council of Elron, as a wizard middle earth one must have a handle on all the tongues, so that magic can be used in all circumstances. Oh love your AMAZING voice, you bring the elvish notes to life !!!

[@seanobrien798]

Well-presented and done. You have an excellent singing voice.

[@philiptaylor7902]

Always great to hear you sing Jess.

[@viniciusdeoliveira171]

Dude, that singing is wild.

[@terrystewart1973]

I think Tolkien saw how closely languages and cultures are tied together, which is one of the reasons he was so interested in the Kalevala, the Finnish epic you mentioned. Finnish as a language, and Finnish as a culture had been submerged for centuries in Finland; first by Swedish and then by Russian depending on who controlled the Finnish lands. The publication of the Kalevala saw the renaissance of both the language, and the culture, and probably resulted in Finland's existence today. Compare that story with the related history of Karelia and Karelian just a little further east for example. I think understanding that shows the context for the oft-quoted desire of Tolkien to create a mythology for England. And at their best I think constructed languages can be considered as art forms of the greatest kinds, though not necessarily with the widest appeal; there's quite a close association with the magical "arts" of gramarye and the word grammer used to describe how languages are constructed. If you think of art as something that invites people to see the world in a new light, then language is even more than visual art forms; If you can name things, you are much more likely to notice them. Ask any new bird watcher, or someone newly interested in wild flowers, butterflies, or other insects about this. A walk in the country, beside an old hedgerow literally becomes a new experience, as you just see so many more things. And the same with concepts or descriptions of things in nature for example. Robert Macfarlane has written much on this subject, resurrecting such ancient, lost, words such as _pirr_ a word from Shetland meaning “ _a light breath of wind, such as will make a cat’s paw on the water_ ”, or _smeuse_ an English word meaning “ _the gap in the base of a hedge made by the regular passage of a small animal_ ”. Once your mind grasps those words, you naturally notice them in nature. Both George Orwell and C. S. Lewis also wrote about the importance of language, with Newspeak from 1984 being designed specifically to remove non-party concepts from the language, so people couldn't even imagine them anymore. Some people, such as Shakespeare simply invented words to add to our existing language of English, "Uncomfortable", "Fashionable", "Addiction", "Bedazzled", "Cold-blooded" (as in cold-blooded killer), "Barefaced (as in shameless), "Sanctimonious" - they're all his inventions. Or Gerard Manley Hopkin who created words like _shivelight_ , for “ _the lances of sunshine that pierce the canopy of a wood_ ”. And I think, going all the way and constructing whole languages is simply a natural progression of that, and for someone like Tolkien, a natural Philologist by inclination and profession, I'd rather be surprised if he hadn't invented a language or two.

[@trinefanmel]

Thanks for covering this topic! I love your work! I once entertained the idea of learning Sindarin, but I ended up just teaching myself a version of the Cirth (specifically Angerthas Moria) instead. While not a language itself, it did teach me something very valuable in terms of linguistics which got me interested in languages myself: - Firstly Angerthas Moria is one of a number of letter systems ultimately based on the Cirth (or at least related to it), but used by the Dwarves to reptesent Khuzdul. Another one is Angerthas Erebor (AE), but it has much fewer letter characters than Angerthas Moria (AM) and from this I could draw 2 conclusions: 1) AE is the older of the two letter systems and AM has added more letter characters for its own purposes, or 2) AM is the older, more complete letter system and the future writers and speakers of AE went 'Nah, we don't need that many letters.' and so condensed it. Either way, I found it interesting because it shows a different kind of language evolution to that of Sindarin and Westron. - Second, the Cirth is a phoenetic letter system, so instead of each LETTER having many sounds based on what other letters are around it, each SOUND in the spoken language has its own letter (which is why there are letters to differentiate 'G' and 'K' but also for 'GH', 'GW', and 'GHW'). Because I write in English with this letter system, I've learned to think less about the spelling of the word I'm writing and more about the sound of the word I'm speaking, quite literally going back to the basics of "sound it out" from Kindergarten and Yr 1. I suppose this is a nod to the fact that all languages started as oral and only later did people construct a letter system to write the language down. Anyway, that's my experience with Tolkien's Con-Langs and letter systems. Thanks again for the video! It was really intersting to listen to.

[@cjb_writings]

I really enjoyed the elven singing as well, instantly transported to Middle Earth

[@thocom529]

I really like these videos it’s such a vibe, thanks for making these

[@MatthewMcVeagh]

Great exposition Jess. You know there has been academic study of Tolkien's languages? There are some books out and you can find some KZbin videos including public talks. Amongst historic conlangers he is surely the most influential, since there is now a massive profusion of fantasy world conlangs that can be traced back to his initiative, whereas there are perhaps only 100 auxiliary languages that have been inspired by Esperanto and its contemporaries.

[@verify231]

As a native speaker of a highly inflected and conjugated language I can't help, but find it amusing that inflection should be considered an ancient feature of a language 😉 Btw, there are living languages today that use the dual form, for instance Modern Standard Arabic, Lithuanian and Irish, if I'm not mistaken. But of course it is a lost form to many Indo-European languages. Great video, Jess! You have a very moving singing voice, quite perfect for the Elvish languages.

[@PatheticApathetic]

Your performances of the elvish songs were gorgeous

[@rksnj6797]

Tolkien was the nerd's nerd! He showed a passion for his interests that only us nerds today can only dream about!

[@hglundahl]

11:02 No. Sindarin is no more a descendant of Quenya, than Welsh descends from Latin or Modern Greek from Old Slavonic. Between Old Sindarin (roughly comparable to Quenya, but different) and Quenya, you both have consonant shift of locus that both reminds of the Q ~ P divide in both Italic and Celtic languages, and of the Centum Satem divide. Quenya (purely) *Tyelperinquare (actually the name is Telperinquare, but the T is a loan from Telerin) versus Sindarin Celebrimbor (older Celeprimpaur). So, Quenya is at once Q and "Tyatem" and Sindarin at once P and Centum ...

[@RingsLoreMaster]

Do you have a reference for that? Out of curiosity, did any of the scholars make such observations?

[@hglundahl]

@@RingsLoreMaster Helge K. Fauskanger described in detail the relations of Quenya and Sindarin. I think he could count as a fairly good Tolkien scholar. Quenya is a Q-language, like Latin and Old Irish, Sindarin a P-language, like Umbrian and Welsh. Silver in Quenya would be Tyelpe, except they half-borrow it from Telerin as Telpe. In Sindarin it's Celeb. So, Kyelepe is "satemised" in Quenya and "centum-ised" in Sindarin.

[@josephfisher426]

Tolkien presents a situation that does not actually occur in human reality, in which language speakers are immortal and the parent languages therefore do not die out. The evolution he posits is impractically compressed, but the Indo-European root language would have favored one set of sounds over the other...

[@hglundahl]

@@josephfisher426 First of all, the Elven languages are not based on Indo-European. If anything, Tolkien has ransacked modern and medieval Indo-European languages plus some non-Indo-European ones, for non-Indo-European words. But second, the different divisions within Indo-European and Celtic and Italic involve different tribes allowing different sounds to prevail. KY, K, KW ... in Indo-European it becomes: K, K, KW in Centum languages (some of which then change KW to P). TY, K, K in Satem languages (most of which then change TY to sth else). Second, the persistance of older forms by immortality highlights a trait of sound changes that Tolkien suspected and Jean Aitchison has pointed at as confirmed : they are fashions. If you had people around who had worn togas when they were 1000 years old, they might still be wearing trousers today.

[@jamesgreaney7615]

One of the oddest things that comes up often about Tolkien here is his intense dislike of the Irish language. He quite liked the country and the people but something about the sounds of the language seems to have really bothered him. He himself even admitted that it was a very subjective and irrational dislike particularly given Irish mythology is very clearly (even if he never admitted it) a prominent influence on large parts of the Silmarillion.

[@ffff5921]

Just came here curious about random trivia, and ended up thoroughly enjoying this entire video. Ugh, it's so well presented and easy to absorb. 🎃 Great stuff, especially the info about khuzdul and black speech.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the video!

[@xv1distort]

I always imagine Entish just sounding like the creaking of trees in the wind.

[@hglundahl]

14:46 Penn's Forest is more like half French. Pennswood.

[@chables74]

Always a great one when Jess sings 👌🏼

[@Idhrendur]

Long ago I tried to learn Sindarin, but it was hard because there's so many gaps in the language. The Neo-Sindarin work has filled in many, but I'm not sure how far along it is or how to find their resources. But even learning a few word parts and grammar rules was enough to make all kinds of place-names in LOTR recognizable. It's a cool experience.

[@nicholaswiley1692]

I’ve started to learn Sindarin on my free time. Arachir Galudirithon’s amazing sound and fluency inspired me to do so. It could actually be used as a legitimate language which blows my mind

[@jjsnedgehammer]

I mean come on, Isildur and Galadriel are two of the coolest sounding names I’ve ever heard. I’m not entirely familiar with Tolkien’s childhood but having grown up in a military family and moving frequently, I had to learn quite a few dialects and the slang of different regions of the US and that has developed into a love for linguistics. I nearly changed my degree for the third time, to Linguistics, I enjoyed the class so much. I can understand why Tolkien delved so much into the creation of these languages for Lord Of The Rings.

[@jjsnedgehammer]

The Ent language is my favorite.

[@ianfrazier9896]

Hey, love your videos but didn’t know you also have a lovely singing voice. Great stuff! :)

[@sebastianluzondo]

10:29 I see you, putting in a sneaky "Kyrie" reference in there. I love it!

[@ghostdreamer7272]

It was amazing to hear you say/sing those verses! I also wonder what it is specifically about these languages that make them sound so beautiful. I know it’s up to each person’s perception, but still, linguistically how did he do it?

[@etienneporras7252]

From a very early age, Tolkien was the very reason why language has been a passion of mine. Growing up smashed between Atlantis the Lost Empire on one side and Sindarin on the other, language (and specifically conlanging) was always a joy.

[@StoriesThatSuck-pw1vi]

Really interesting, and well researched. Thank you for this.

[@SaberBrickStudios]

Great video thanks so much. Also you have a Great voice, can’t imagine how much work that would take to perform.

[@nftvegeta538]

9:45 that hit me out of no where...You have a very beautiful voice

[@stephenbenner4353]

Tolkien’s good friend (one of the Inklings) Owen Barfield wrote a book A History in English Words in which he explores what we can find out about the culture of our ancestors from our modern language.

[@stefanomagaddino6868]

This video illustrates what an incredible genius you are Jess ( not to mention beautiful ).

[@CrustyCheapster]

Not technically a language, but I’ve written a few things in Angerthas (Dwarf Runes) before and I’ve never felt more like a respected scribe.

[@galaxydeathskrill5607]

same for me with Tengwar

[@nigelwillits7818]

At the risk of seeming hasty, I would say my favourite Tolkien language is Entish. I love its mellifluous sonorities, the cascading consonants and voluptuous vowels like a babbling brook running over a stony bed through a moss-hung forest where drapes of lichen festoon the sinuous branches....

[@scaper8]

I can understand your reasons for liking Black Speech. I think it's similar to why we _Star Trek_ nerds latched on to Klingon so much. It's a language, and even more a form of speaking, that is very foreign to most of us, and thus making it more fun and interesting.

[@thenorthkoreanwifier2075]

I have loved languages for a long time in my life along with and especially storytelling however long winded or fantastical it may be. Which is probably why I love Lord of the Rings and even moreso The Silmarillion. And this is also partly because of my mother who loved language and would teach me and my siblings a little bit of German and Spanish, though she and my dad especially loved the languages of the North American Tribes (of which we are descends of) and their many stories. Some of my siblings even have Native names in Cherokee and Lakota. And that love of such things expanding to me along with many cringe and failed writings and languages it is only now (understanding where I went wrong before and with much guidance of the internet with the help of and communities) have I started to work on the beginnings of my world and it's many tragedies, euchatastrophies, and especially language. This also being a feigned history not of Europe but of dead languages like Biblical Hebrew, Arabic, and Ancient Egyptian of the many people who lived in what once has been called the Land of Canaan and of the many fantastic stories thereof. And I am beginning to understand Tolkien's problem of trying to restrain one's self from getting into the weeds of things both in story and in language. My so far only language I have is one that is at least phonetically like that of what I call Hebrayic (that is to say using the many phonetic sounds of Hebrew throughout its history that makes sense) and Wyandot with some words that are similar to Arabic and Ancient Egyptian words written in a way that makes the most sense within the rules of my language of which I can go on and on about. While also learning about the language and cultures and myths of the real life people I'm using so as to write and show all in a unique way while still being respectful of such things (even if those things are things that I myself follow or believe in, take that) Tldr: Love language and story telling and Tolkien's work has inspired me to "discover" and write my own while learning about the myths and languages I'm learning already.

[@grokeffer6226]

I think that I like Westron most, because I can understand it. You have a very good voice.🎙🎼