The Constructed Languages of JRR Tolkien (Feat. Lindsay Ellis) | It’s Lit

↓ More info below ↓

Tolkien is widely regarded as the most influential author on the fantasy genre… period. But one of the less-discussed aspects of his work is the way Tolkien used constructed language in his writing.

Nowadays authors are constantly making up words and languages for the worlds they build, but Tolkien was unique in that he constructed languages first, and then created worlds so his fictional languages would have somewhere to live.

Hosted by Lindsay Ellis and Princess Weekes, It’s Lit! is a show about our favorite books, genres and why we love to read. It’s Lit has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.

Hosted and Written by: Lindsay Ellis
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Stephanie Noone
Editors: Derek Borsheim, Sara Roma
Writing Consultants: Maia Krause
Executive Producer (PBS): Adam Dylewski
Editorial Producer (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing

Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.

Follow us on Twitter:

Follow us on IG:

[caiscorner]

Tolkien saying "my personal aesthetic" made me laugh, the internet has ruined words for me I'm now just imagine Tolkiens Pinterest board

[otakuribo]

"Don't be ashamed of that 'secret vice.' Post that cringe."
~Lindsey Ellis, 2020

[crows]

Nerd DNA is inherited directly from the line of Tolkien. So much nerdry is descended from his "secret vice". The primordial cringe.

[CrimsonTemplar]

“You go Frodo. You flex those foreign language credits.” I lol’d

[TeaDrivenDev]

One important bit of information missing here that I think is required to understand both why Tolkien liked inventing languages *and* actually had the skills to do it the way that he did is the fact that he only was a fantasy author on the side, and professionally served as a linguistics professor in Oxford for almost 35 years.

[princessthyemis]

That's so cool to hear Tolkien actually recite some of his language. That little section sounds absolutely beautiful.

[leonbrooks]

My grandmother once had a conversation with Tolkien when he was on holiday in West Wales. She always said that she spoke to him in English and was shocked when he replied in Welsh but by all accounts he was fluent in not only modern Welsh but also medieval Welsh.

[-Anjel]

Tolkien was searching for inspiration from European languages and when he came across Finnish he wrote to his friend “It [discovering Finnish] was like discovering a wine-cellar filled with bottles of amazing wine of a kind and flavour never tasted before. It quite intoxicated me.”
He taught himself Finnish in order to read Kalevala, which is the Finnish National Epic. Lord of the Rings has a lot of commonalities with Kalevala. Tolkien also translated part of Kalevala to English, the song of Kullervo.

[Hallows]

One more thing to consider: I don't know if Tolkien made this parallel himself or if it was the result of later interpretation, but Quenya is essentially the Elvish equivalent of Latin- it's associated with "high culture" and was widely spoken back in the day, but by the time of The Lord of the Rings its usage had become largely ceremonial.

[ilikebirds]

"Don't be ashamed, post that cringe" is a strangely encouraging sentiment lol

[NumberRobotic]

The instant I started this vid, I was immediately distracted by Lindsay's "Too Many Tooks" shirt and how much I want it so bad right now lmao

[Oldqueen]

Tolkien actually hit the nail on the head in regard to the relationship of Jewish people to broader European society at the time of his writing. I’ve read works by Jewish authors from that time in Europe and picked up on the themes Tolkien discusses. I wrote a paper in college about how based on those works it seemed that Jewish people were at once natives and participants of European societies and separate. They inhabited different social and occupational roles within and outside of their communities. It’s very interesting how Tolkien seems to understand this duality of Jewish existence at the time of his writing and how it is reflected in his work.

[kevintran]

Lindsey Ellis making a reference to Julio Torres's brilliant Papyrus sketch is what we needed

[miyoutakisawa]

I’m glad Lindsay is getting good use out of her “ICONIC” fan

[SkydreamerStudios]

"in the community, a thing that exists, a CONLANG"
I feel so seen

[AislinKageno]

When I read A Secret Vice back in college ten years ago, I had never related to something so hard. I'd been conlanging since middle school, and just like Tolkien, I always treated it as something embarrassing, hard to explain to others without making myself sound foolish. His description of conlanging as vaguely shameful and kind of abnormal was absolutely something that resonated with me, and I've really enjoyed watching the public perception of the hobby shift in recent years.

[TheSorrel]

"Learning the Dragon language is an integral part of the Gameplay."

You're making it sound way better than it actually is.

[CazAvery]

I know a guy (my dad's old school friend) who has a PhD in Latin and Elvish. He lives in New Zealand, shockingly.

[chelsbells]

I could listen to Lindsay talk about Tolkien for eons.

[KitchenSinkSoup]

Tolkien was British, of course he was self-deprecating and ashamed of his hobbies.