The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-Earth

by Ruth S. Noel

The same delight that led Tolkien to invent fourteen different languages and assorted alphabets for his Middle-earth dwellers now leads many of his fans to puzzle out translations for the Rohirrim's battle cries and to write their love letters in Elvish.

Here is the perfect handbook for all such enthusiasts as well as for serious students of language. It includes a full account of Tolkien the linguist, as well as telling how to write all the languages, with guides to grammar and pronunciation, and a complete dictionary of the fourteen languages.

Here is a book to deepen and enhance our enjoyment of those classics of Middle-earth, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

Ruth Noel teaches remedial and developmental reading in Riverside, California. She is the author of The Mythology of Middle-earth, on the relation between The Lord of the Rings and European myth in general. "The author is convincing and fascinating as she connects Tolkien's fantasies with the hallowed myths of other cultures." - Publishers Weekly

Genres: Fantasy, Reference, Language, Linguistics, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Writing

207 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Ruth Helen Swycaffer Noel (born 1947) has written two books relating to J.R.R. Tolkien's works; The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth and The Mythology of Middle-earth. She has also written science-fiction novels under the name Atanielle Annyn Noel.

Reviews

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book for those interested in J.R.R. Tolkien's created languages.

With The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-Earth Ruth Noel gives you the foundation for Tolkien's famous elven language, which I always like to proudly point out is based in Finnish. Hey, us Finns don't always have a lot to shout about!

The book also includes about a dozen other languages, such as various human tongues, the Black Speech of Mordor, high ancient tongues, common speech, etc. It takes all the words Tolkien gave us, translates them and offers some samples on how to elaborate on the fragments of the languages we have, such as verb conjugation.

Included are various glossaries, essays on Tolkien the conlanger's technique, and a Tolkien dictionary. While not for the average reader, this book is indispensable for fantasy fiction language lovers.

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I do indeed and well realise that Ruth S. Noel's The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-Earth is obviously rather outdated now (as it was published in 1974 and then reprinted in 1980), I certainly and nevertheless have still been quite massively disappointed with and by especially the author's presented text, by her narrrative. For one and to and for me most importantly, there just are not nearly enough actual linguistic content and analysis presented in The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-Earth, period. And for two, while I do find the included Tolkien language dictionary interesting and informative, it in my opinion is rather problematic and frustrating that said dictionary actually is substantially longer and much more extensive than ANY of the presented information and details on J.R.R. Tolkien and his invented, composed languages of Middle-Earth (that Ruth S. Noel's writing on the languages of Tolkien's elves, hobbits, men etc. really does at best only and barely scratch the proverbial surface so to speak, leaving a general but still especially with regard to linguistics, language structure, grammar and the like majorly inadequate introduction that I for one have found both academically frustrating and in fact more than a bit annoying), not to mention that the featured dictionary of The Languages of Tolkien's Middle Earth is also not really all that user friendly in set-up, since instead presenting the different Middle Earth languages as single entities, Ruth S. Noel has them all scrunched together (in other words, a given English word or phrase will have ALL of the known equivalents of Tolkien's many Middle Earth languages listed after it, but not in a manner that is easy on the eyes, not having say the elvish equivalents in a separate line from the languages of the Rohirrim or the Hobbits). Two stars, and not really all that personally recommended, as there are now seemingly much more recent and from what I have heard also considerably superior analyses of Tolkien's Middle-Earth languages available both as books and online (and in particular since Ruth S. Noel has also not bothered with an included bibliography and that the main part of The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-Earth is in fact and indeed a dictionary that I for one have not found all that easy, simple and useful to consult).

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw a guy in my math class reading this in 1996; I commented on how cool it looked, so for Christmas that guy gave me my own copy. He said he had an extra copy lying around.

Earlier this year he killed himself. I will always remember him for this gift, a simple act of unnecessary kindness.

[Heidi Nemo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book enabled me, at 9, to start envisioning, designing, imagining other languages, other ways of communicating, to go with my imaginary worlds.
I learned to write in elvish and a couple of runic languages Tolkien devised, then shared this with a friend, allowing us to completely bypass the limitations of school and authority. With language. Holy shit, it opened a door I'd never thought to see.
I named my first horse after this book; it had that large an effect on my conciousness.

[Daniel Ionson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This only has a little of the data that's not in the appendix of Silmarillion.

[Crumb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read if you're interested in Tolkien's languages. If you're purely in love with his stories this will not interest you. Also, you will probably need some knowledge of linguistic terminology to fully understand it.
The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of its inaccuracy. The book is important because it was one of the first major books to be published on Tolkien's languages, but it has since become quite outdated. Take into account that the first edition of this book was published in 1974, and the revised version in 1980. If you consider that The Silmarillion was first published in 1977, one can only imagine how much information emerged on the languages since then. Even David Salo in A Gateway to Sindarin mentions the inaccuracy of some of his data, and that book was published recently (in 2004).
Having said all that, the book still provides great insight into the languages of Middle Earth and is an interesting read for those interested in linguistics and for those who wish to know more about Tolkien's world.

[Toralinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A relatively good book for those who want to learn a little bit about Tolkien's constructed languages. It is now outdated, however, as more information (directly from Tolkien) about the Elvish languages in particular has been published since this book. As such, some of the explanations of grammar and of the writing systems are wrong. Good book for those who want a brief glimpse at what the languages are like, but no good for serious learners of the languages/writing systems - for that I highly recommend Helge Fauskanger's Quenya course or David Salo's A Gateway to Sindarin: A Grammar of an Elvish Language from JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very useful guide to Tolkien's invented languages, but is mostly a tool or study-guide rather than a work that can be enjoyably read from cover to cover. It's a good one to have on the shelf for reference if you are a Tolkien fan, but I think it is aimed at the people who are interested in the "private lang" aspect of Tolkien's work more than his stories.

[Erynien · Rating 1 out of 5]

I see some folks calling this an "informative" read, but it isn't one for a seasoned Tolkienite. This book is terribly out of date, and is often incorrect, even when consulting sources that existed at the time of its publication. The only thing that saves it are its references for the Tengwar and Cirth. Save your money and look into David Salo's work instead. Accurate, up-to-date dictionaries like Hisweloke's Sindarin Dictionary are available online.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can get most of the information on this book from the Appendices in The Return of the King and The Silmarillion (can I just add how delighted I am by the fact that George R.R. Martin is referring to his work on the the Targaryen family history as the GRRMarillion? Brilliant). However, if you want a pocket-sized overview of the languages of Middle Earth, including a brief dictionary - because who does not want a pocket-sized collection of some of Tolkien's linguistic efforts? - this will do.

[Harle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it very informative, especially on the subject of Westron- if you're a Hobbit lover this is a definite must-read. However, I hear that the elvish is extremely spotty and outdated. It's a really good read if you're interested in Westron and the like, but I'm not going to recommend it for the Quenyan and Sindarin.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very interesting! The only thing that would have made it better is if Tolkien himself would have been able to work on it. There was a fair amount of (educated) guesswork, and there were some undefined words in dictionary, but it was still fascinating to read about the word and grammar structure and histories of his languages.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fascinating reference source that I discovered during my middle school years. I became an instant languages-geek (even before I had studied any foreign languages). My friends and I used the writing systems in this book to pass notes to each other in class! So much fun.

[Julie]

Recommended by Brian

[L.T. Getty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in Uni while studying English Syntax, mostly to help me goof around with my own made up languages for fiction.

Didn't think to add this on goodreads until someone advertised it.

[Anna C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so happy this exists.

[kristin connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good compilation and basic intro, but I am looking for a deeper linguistics approach. But worth the read.

[Siobhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to read this again. The languages are quite difficult.

[Rach H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough, accessible, and fascinating!

[Nikhil Krishnaswamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm no Tolkien scholar, but reading the appendices to the Return of the King kick-started my interest in language creation and linguistics. Now I have a Master's degree in that (linguistics, not language creation). So I owe a lot to Tolkien and his languages and had already done a lot of reading on the topic before I stumbled across this book completely by accident.

This is a quick read; I finished it in just one night. The latter half is a dictionary of the various words found in Tolkien's Middle-Earth works (LOTR, Silmarillion, etc.), which unless you're looking for a specific word, is good for skimming. The bulk of the book's actual content comes in the first half. While it's billed as a guide to Tolkien's fourteen Middle-Earth languages, most of it is focused on the Elvish languages Quenya and Sindarin, which is fair, because those are definitely the most developed of the languages JRRT developed. Those chapters make for good primers on the languages and give you a sense of Tolkien's inspirations for their sounds (Finnish for Quenya, Welsh for Sindarin), and of some of the grammar and verbal systems. You won't learn how to speak either from this book, but that's not the point.

There are also brief sections on other languages of Middle-Earth, such as the languages of Men and Hobbits (Adunaic, Westron, etc.) and the Black Speech and the Dwarvish languages. For the languages of Men, the book focuses more on Tolkien's invented "translation convention," and how he reflected the relationships between the thinly-sketched underlying Middle-Earth languages using his expertise in real-world Germanic languages. I do know that Tolkien did outlined pieces of these languages themselves (though not to the depth of Elvish) and I would have liked to see more of that.

My biggest complaint about this book is that it didn't tell me anything I wasn't already familiar with. The parts that were new to me were all too brief. There's some interesting stuff at the beginning about Tolkien himself and his own background in and attitude toward linguistics, which as a linguist and a fantasy buff I would have liked a lot more of. Same with the non-Elvish languages, even if the book had delved into realms of hypothesizing and conjecture.

Bottom line: no, I didn't learn much that was new, but it's nice to have all the Tolkien language facts found in various places in a single little collection. I'd recommend it for people interested in some of the background of Tolkien's impressive world-building. As the book states, culture grows out of language, and this book handily demonstrates how Tolkien used language as the foundation and anchor for his invented world. If you're already familiar with his languages, you won't learn much new, but it makes a handy reference.

[Aaron White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regarding the rune and letters, regarding pronunciation and the guide to the languages, this was a great book. I know most of this information can be found elsewhere, but it is handy to have all together.

Regarding the history of the languages and other info given, I did not care for it as much. I am fairly familiar with the Tolkien world, but the author spouts off places and names that are uncommon unless you have read all History of Middle Earth books with no back info given. I am okay with referencing these things, but before moving on to the next obscure thing, fill me in on exactly who that was, or where on Middle-Earth I can find that location.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished this important, although apparently somewhat inaccurate/outdated, book. It was just reading through the dictionary portion that took forever. A lot was repeated from the appendices of LOTR, and a lot was explained nicely. Some other reviewers commented on the inaccuracies and that more recent analyses now exist. I'll have to check them out. If you enjoy language and are eager to understand all facets of Middle-earth then this is a must-read. Or if you just enjoy the way beautiful words sound and feel in your mouth!

[Miss Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice starter for Tolkien's languages, though if seriously interested, please reference Christopher Tolkien's extensive work from his father's notes, The Parma Eldalamberon or The Book of Tongues. Last I checked there were 25 volumes ranging from Sindarin and Quenyan to Noldarin and Numenorean as well as the Dwarvish tongue. Ideal for philological enthusiasts and anyone intent on learning the actual grammar of Tolkien's invented languages. This is a decent starter.

[Matt Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

What purpose is a book of languages that didn't actually exist? Well, it's not really about that. I mean, it is..but reading between the lines you see the genius of Tolkien. A man that invent numerous languages in complete form should be studied, and this book is a study independent of his Fiction. As Tolkien was a linguist by profession this book is what one would assume with any language text. And that is the genius of it.

[Christa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book may not thrill you, but it will provide the Tolkienite with a lot of additional detail and information about the many languages that Tolkien invented as the underpinnings of his epic story.

This is basically an in-depth extension of the language section of the appendix to "Lord of the Rings" (usually found after "Return of the King" in mutli-volume sets).

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is heavy on citing existing material presented in the Tolkien fiction. I was hoping for something more linguistically rigorous and able to fill in gaps where Tolkien himself didn't explicitly explain things. But that's where this book falls short. It ends up being short, dry, and mostly a dictionary that muddles together fourteen languages all at once...

[IVellon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Appendices for people who like to read everything twice

Favourite sentence: "Prepositional elements come at the end of Quenya words..."

Summarizes the now out-dated and little information of the "pre History of Middle-earth time", contains several mistakes, though.
Today, there's much better stuff on the internet for free - don't buy!

[Joseph Leskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really an excellent book! I highly recommend it! For people who want to know about Tolkien's languages, doncha know. Took my time about reading it, apparently…

[AL أل · Rating 5 out of 5]

És impressionant. Massa curt pel meu gust, però un dels millors llibres i diccionaris que he llegit. És molt interessant i enriquidor. I molt amè també.

[Winser Espinal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this short guide is written beautifully, I don't think anyone is going to easily be able to become fluent in Sindarin or Quenya by reading this guide or any other guide on the matter of Tolkien's made up languages.

If anything, this book helped me understand the sheer scope of Tolkien's Middle-earth linguistic work. The rabbit hole goes deep, but it is worth exploring.

From Old English to Spanish, Tolkien studied nearly every language he could get his hands on before developing his own.

Even exploring the Rohirrim's use of Old English would push you towards going through enough external material to learn everything there is to know about the Anglo-Saxons.

This book might not be the crown jewel of Tolkien's linguist legacy, but it could inspire you to keep digging deeper.