Words and Names in Tolkien's Work - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Lalwendë · 03-09-2007, 06:26 PM

I've been exploring some of the words and names created by Tolkien, and looking at how they relate (or not) to existing words, and having a little fun in speculating. I've not just been struck by corresponding meanings, which can often be so different as to be quite jarring, but also by the similarity in the sound and shape of the words.

I was chatting to tgwbs, who is a keen linguist, and said I'd been thinking of starting up a thread which has a simple aim: To compare names and words created by Tolkien with words in use in the real world. It can be fun where we speculate, and I encourage wild speculation, and it can also be really useful for our understanding where we spot a genuine correspondence - not just our understanding of Tolkien but our understanding of our own languages. So be as speculative or as much of a linguist as you like. No need to be an expert, but language experts are equally welcome! All I'd ask is that we give each word we look at a fair chance and discuss it a little at least, to avoid this just becoming a 'list'.

And of course Tolkien was fond of playing around with words in exactly this way!

So I'll kick it off with Thingol.

Thingol in Tolkien's world means Greycloak. It's a word I like the sound and feel of, as it reminds me of old Viking place names - among them Thingwall and Dingwall, and of the name of the Manx parliament, the Tynwald. Looking up the root, thing, brings the information that this roughly translates as 'assembly' or 'court', descending through time to mean 'business' and 'purpose' to meaning 'object' as it does today.

Now given that, do you think Tolkien chose thing as a root for this name because it suggests leadership, authority? Or something else?

03-09-2007, 06:26 PM	#1
Lalwendë A Mere Boggart Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: under the bed Posts: 4,737	Words and Names in Tolkien's Work I've been exploring some of the words and names created by Tolkien, and looking at how they relate (or not) to existing words, and having a little fun in speculating. I've not just been struck by corresponding meanings, which can often be so different as to be quite jarring, but also by the similarity in the sound and shape of the words. I was chatting to tgwbs, who is a keen linguist, and said I'd been thinking of starting up a thread which has a simple aim: To compare names and words created by Tolkien with words in use in the real world. It can be fun where we speculate, and I encourage wild speculation, and it can also be really useful for our understanding where we spot a genuine correspondence - not just our understanding of Tolkien but our understanding of our own languages. So be as speculative or as much of a linguist as you like. No need to be an expert, but language experts are equally welcome! All I'd ask is that we give each word we look at a fair chance and discuss it a little at least, to avoid this just becoming a 'list'. And of course Tolkien was fond of playing around with words in exactly this way! So I'll kick it off with Thingol. Thingol in Tolkien's world means Greycloak. It's a word I like the sound and feel of, as it reminds me of old Viking place names - among them Thingwall and Dingwall, and of the name of the Manx parliament, the Tynwald. Looking up the root, thing, brings the information that this roughly translates as 'assembly' or 'court', descending through time to mean 'business' and 'purpose' to meaning 'object' as it does today. Now given that, do you think Tolkien chose thing as a root for this name because it suggests leadership, authority? Or something else? __________________ Gordon's alive!