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A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages
A Secret Vice is the title of a lecture written by J. R. R. Tolkien in 1931, given at a conference. Some twenty years later, Tolkien revised the manuscript for a second presentation.
It deals with constructed languages in general, and the relation of a mythology to its language. Tolkien contrasts international auxiliary languages with artistic languages constructed for aesthetic pleasure. Tolkien also discusses phonaesthetics, citing Greek, Finnish, and Welsh as examples of "languages which have a very characteristic and in their different ways beautiful word-form".
Tolkien's opinion of the relation of mythology and language is reflected in examples cited in Quenya and Noldorin, the predecessors of Quenya and Sindarin. The essay contains three Quenya poems, Oilima Markirya ("The Last Ark"), Nieninque, and Earendel, as well as an eight-line passage in Noldorin.
From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Secre...
It deals with constructed languages in general, and the relation of a mythology to its language. Tolkien contrasts international auxiliary languages with artistic languages constructed for aesthetic pleasure. Tolkien also discusses phonaesthetics, citing Greek, Finnish, and Welsh as examples of "languages which have a very characteristic and in their different ways beautiful word-form".
Tolkien's opinion of the relation of mythology and language is reflected in examples cited in Quenya and Noldorin, the predecessors of Quenya and Sindarin. The essay contains three Quenya poems, Oilima Markirya ("The Last Ark"), Nieninque, and Earendel, as well as an eight-line passage in Noldorin.
From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Secre...
157 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2016
78 people are currently reading
1502 people want to read
About the author
J.R.R. Tolkien
786 books77.3k followersJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
May 27, 2016
Let’s just face the facts people, Tolkien was a genius. He was the inventor of languages and mythology; he was the designer of races and cultures: he was the creator of worlds. He created modern fantasy. So here’s a book that gets right down to the nitty-gritty of Tolkien’s wonderful world; it explains the logic, and the success, behind his imagination: the language itself.
Tolkien’s essay “A Secret Vice” is replicated in here. Certainly, the essay is available, along with many others, in editions that collect his writings. You may even be able to find it for free online. That’s great, but this edition goes into a great deal of detail. The scholarship of the editors is of the highest quality. The introduction, notes and explanatory sections are extensive and illuminating. In all honesty, I don’t think I would have appreciated the full importance of Tolkien’s arguments without the extensive efforts the editors have gone to. This really is good stuff.
Tolkien lays down his process of creating languages, a process the introduction explains perfectly. The original essay is high level academic work; Tolkien was a professor after all, so the introduction is rather vital before actually attempting the essay itself. Firstly, Tolkien wanted his words to sound aesthetically pleasing; he wanted them to be artistic and beautiful. Such can be seen with the elven language; it reflects the people themselves. They are a graceful race, powerful yet kind. This can be taken further. The language of the orc reflects their twisted beings. So, in a sense, Tolkien suggests that the words should reflect the speaker. And perhaps his actions.
Secondly, Tolkien wanted a high degree of association between the written word’s form and its actual meaning. This is an extreme case of onomatopoeia that would only really make sense if you spoke the language itself. Thirdly, the language requires an original grammatical structure; it needs to be individual to each specific one. Thus, Tolkien displays his genius. How did he actually manage such a thing by himself? It’s rather mind-boggling.
The final aspect, and I’d argue the most important, Tolkien advocates a sense of history. He says that the language needs to have evolved over time, like real language, it needs to have changed as people have changed. This can be seen in his work. If you’ve read The Silmarillion, you’ll have seen how his peoples change over time. Hypothetically speaking, their language would have done the same. Isn’t Tolkien just great? His world of middle-earth is so rich and vibrant. This was a really interesting read, but perhaps only to those who have a strong, perhaps even keen, interest in the groundwork in which Tolkien built his world.
I though I'd leave you with another Elrond gif because he just looks so badass in that armor!
Tolkien’s essay “A Secret Vice” is replicated in here. Certainly, the essay is available, along with many others, in editions that collect his writings. You may even be able to find it for free online. That’s great, but this edition goes into a great deal of detail. The scholarship of the editors is of the highest quality. The introduction, notes and explanatory sections are extensive and illuminating. In all honesty, I don’t think I would have appreciated the full importance of Tolkien’s arguments without the extensive efforts the editors have gone to. This really is good stuff.
Tolkien lays down his process of creating languages, a process the introduction explains perfectly. The original essay is high level academic work; Tolkien was a professor after all, so the introduction is rather vital before actually attempting the essay itself. Firstly, Tolkien wanted his words to sound aesthetically pleasing; he wanted them to be artistic and beautiful. Such can be seen with the elven language; it reflects the people themselves. They are a graceful race, powerful yet kind. This can be taken further. The language of the orc reflects their twisted beings. So, in a sense, Tolkien suggests that the words should reflect the speaker. And perhaps his actions.
Secondly, Tolkien wanted a high degree of association between the written word’s form and its actual meaning. This is an extreme case of onomatopoeia that would only really make sense if you spoke the language itself. Thirdly, the language requires an original grammatical structure; it needs to be individual to each specific one. Thus, Tolkien displays his genius. How did he actually manage such a thing by himself? It’s rather mind-boggling.
The final aspect, and I’d argue the most important, Tolkien advocates a sense of history. He says that the language needs to have evolved over time, like real language, it needs to have changed as people have changed. This can be seen in his work. If you’ve read The Silmarillion, you’ll have seen how his peoples change over time. Hypothetically speaking, their language would have done the same. Isn’t Tolkien just great? His world of middle-earth is so rich and vibrant. This was a really interesting read, but perhaps only to those who have a strong, perhaps even keen, interest in the groundwork in which Tolkien built his world.
I though I'd leave you with another Elrond gif because he just looks so badass in that armor!
November 13, 2022
This is a compilation book of three Tolkien works about languages, already existing and his own, with additional material of some of the Tolkien’s notes on his early progress at inventing languages. Overall the small tome gives a glimpse at Tolkien as a language inventor with plenty of explanations how to read his essays but Tolkien is not easy to read, especially when provided essays were meant to be read to likeminded scholars as him. I’m personally not a big linguist myself so to me it was a tad tedious to get through his words, however the added context makes this book a really interesting read that shows just how much Tolkien labored over his languages. Overall a great book for any beginner Tolkien scholar.
November 6, 2019
Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins’ 2016 publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “A Secret Vice” in a critical form is very welcome. A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Language is a beautifully designed edition in the HarperCollins Middle-earth series, and includes critical texts with extensive notes of two of Tolkien’s connected lectures, “A Secret Vice” and “Essay on Phonetic Symbolism.” They also publish a number of related manuscript notes in Bodleian Tolkien MS. 24 which would only be available to people with archival access. The volume closes with a chapter on “The Reception and Legacy of Tolkien’s Invented Languages” and a helpful chronology of Tolkien’s philological and language work in 1925-1933.
Overall, A Secret Vice is excellently done, neither disappearing too deeply into the involved worlds of Tolkienist language scholarship nor skating quickly across the issues. The reviews of scholarship are adequate though not exhaustive, and the review is accessible to new students. Some will use this book for a broad-based introduction, while others will use it primarily for the texts.
My criticism and concerns are probably issues of publication rather than editorial control. I am eternally frustrated by endnotes, especially in critical editions. This is even less endearing when we are dealing with conlang poetry. My shout into the wind on this issue will do little to shift what is the normal practice in the industry. Beyond that, the “coda” that offers the section on Tolkien language reception could have been longer. A little more detail about the living nature of Elvin tongues would be welcome, but I am surprised we don’t have a significant portion on what is the most extensive and complete post-Tolkien Tolkienist conlang, that of The Game of Thrones on screen. I can only guess that someone else has done this job or that it didn’t fit in the vision of the publishers or others behind the scenes.
These issues are minor and shouldn’t take away from a volume of worth. As a fan, as a curious reader, I’m appreciative of Drs Fimi and Higgins for their work.
See full review on www.aPilgrimInNarnia.com on Nov 13, 2019.
Overall, A Secret Vice is excellently done, neither disappearing too deeply into the involved worlds of Tolkienist language scholarship nor skating quickly across the issues. The reviews of scholarship are adequate though not exhaustive, and the review is accessible to new students. Some will use this book for a broad-based introduction, while others will use it primarily for the texts.
My criticism and concerns are probably issues of publication rather than editorial control. I am eternally frustrated by endnotes, especially in critical editions. This is even less endearing when we are dealing with conlang poetry. My shout into the wind on this issue will do little to shift what is the normal practice in the industry. Beyond that, the “coda” that offers the section on Tolkien language reception could have been longer. A little more detail about the living nature of Elvin tongues would be welcome, but I am surprised we don’t have a significant portion on what is the most extensive and complete post-Tolkien Tolkienist conlang, that of The Game of Thrones on screen. I can only guess that someone else has done this job or that it didn’t fit in the vision of the publishers or others behind the scenes.
These issues are minor and shouldn’t take away from a volume of worth. As a fan, as a curious reader, I’m appreciative of Drs Fimi and Higgins for their work.
See full review on www.aPilgrimInNarnia.com on Nov 13, 2019.
January 28, 2023
I could spend forever reading about Tolkien's views on constructed languages and never get bored. Getting even a glimpse into his process for language creation is immensely valuable. The introduction and additional context and materials were absolutely engrossing and made this a fantastically worthwhile read (even more so than simply reading a transcript of the original speech (which I have also done)).
"Wars are not favourable to delicate pleasures"
"Wars are not favourable to delicate pleasures"
November 28, 2016
OVERVIEW
Although I'm always excited about a new Tolkien book, I was hesitant about spending money on A Secret Vice since the essay that forms the core of the book is published in The Monsters and the Critics, which I already own. Ultimately, I do think A Secret Vice is an engaging critical edition, and the editors made a good call to republish the essay as a standalone book with additional supporting material (including an introduction, another essay on phonetic symbolism, a look at the various manuscripts/revisions of the essay, and a coda about the legacy of Tolkien's languages). The Monsters and the Critics basically just collects several of Tolkien's academic lectures. The limited external commentary means the lectures can be overwhelming or confusing to readers who don't already have some knowledge about the topics the lectures address. A Secret Vice fixes that problem and provides a nice introduction to settle readers into the linguistic theory that Tolkien used to invent the languages of Middle-Earth, while also offering more in-depth material for more academically minded readers. (Basically, I think this book works well for both a general audience and scholars.)
THE INTRODUCTION
The editors' introduction to A Secret Vice is a quick but comprehensive overview of what Tolkien covers in the essay "A Secret Vice" itself and of some of the contemporary linguistic theory that informed Tolkien's work on languages. It is a nice reminder, as well, that Tolkien was interested in linguistics and philology, which I think is still overlooked, even as Tolkien's other academic work (medieval literary studies) continues to gain recognition.
The editors outline four major characters Tolkien desired his languages to have, which I found a useful way to organize the information from the book:
1.) aesthetically pleasing word forms
2.) fitness between form and meaning
3.) elaborate grammars
4.) illusion of historicity
I was initially skeptical about point two, since what I know about language theory is from Saussure, who declares that the signifier is unrelated to the signified (words-their forms or sounds-are not related at all to the objects or ideas they describe). Saussure's theory dominates academia today. However, the introduction presents a brief overview of earlier scholars who argued word form and meaning could be related and how this might be. I like the idea that Tolkien tried to adhere to this theory in his own language invention, even if success in that area must be largely subjective.
My one gripe is that the introduction occasionally repeats itself in a manner I find odd. My only explanation is that the authors were thinking that readers might skip about the introduction and read only certain subsections they found interesting. While such selective reading is common in academia (Who reads an entire monograph from start to end?), I think it would be unusual for someone not to read the introduction with some care, particularly when the introduction (and the book as a whole) are not very long. Repeating the same point three times is unnecessary.
A SECRET VICE
I admit it: I enjoyed this essay much more with the context of the introduction than I would have without it. The "essay" is really a lecture that Tolkien read aloud to an undergraduate society at Oxford, and reading it reminded me of similar lectures I have attended throughout my own academic career. Unlike actual essays, which tend to have a strong thesis/focus/structure, these lectures (somewhere between formal and informal), tend to be meandering. I often leave them asking myself, "What was the main point?" and Tolkien's work is no exception.
Tolkien, you see, begins with some general ponderings on language and language construction. He talks a lot about Esperanto. He, eventually, gets to reflecting on people he knows who have created languages. He takes an odd digression into why some of these languages do not actually count as invented languages or contribute to his argument. Finally, he gets to the topic one would have thought was the point all along: his own invented languages. With a bit of explanation of his process and some examples of poems he's written in his own languages, the lecture is done. I suppose it's more of a narrative than an essay. Tolkien eases into his main topic; he doesn't forefront it with a clear thesis. This isn't my favorite structure, so I appreciated that the introduction outlined some main take-aways of the lecture. Frankly, I think it might be possible for a reader to miss them. However, once you have your bearings with the lecture, it does offer fascinating insight into Tolkien's invented language production.
ESSAY ON PHONETIC SYMBOLISM
This essay is more technical. It isn't entirely clear what audience Tolkien intended it for. The book does a lot of cross-referencing between this essay and "A Secret Vice," so for many readers it's going to be most useful to shed light on "A Secret Vice." The editors point out that the essay appears to have been written in one sitting, and I do think it reads like a draft. It's a bit confusing at times, but the editorial notes are helpful.
THE MANUSCRIPTS
Publishing every existing manuscript/draft of a work is currently a popular scholarly practice and has been standard practice for all of the most recent Tolkien books. Scholars want to avoid publishing a "definitive" version of a text if one doesn't clearly exist, and they also want to provide readers with the chance to see an author's process and how his/her ideas developed and changed over drafts. In theory, this is interesting. In practice, I don't read these sections of the book. Unless I'm doing an academic study,I don't have a lot of personal interest in reading five versions of the same text to pick out what's different between them. I think a general audience would agree with me for the most part, but if you're really into Tolkien studies, this section of the book will be useful to you and give you access to material you'd otherwise need to get from the Bodleian library.
CODA
This section of the book reads most like something the authors intended for a general audience, rather than an academic one. It starts with an overview of Tolkien's work that will be old news to many serious Tolkien fans. However, it does offer some new information specifically on Tolkien's language invention and ends with a reflection on how Tolkien's work has influenced fantasy. I learned, for instance, that linguists are routinely hired to help create fantasy languages for books or for books turned to movies. (Apparently George R. R. Martin mentions Dothraki briefly in A Song of Ice and Fire, but HBO hired linguists to flesh it out for the television series.) It's not an earth-shattering section, but it's entertaining and nicely wraps up the book as a whole.
Although I'm always excited about a new Tolkien book, I was hesitant about spending money on A Secret Vice since the essay that forms the core of the book is published in The Monsters and the Critics, which I already own. Ultimately, I do think A Secret Vice is an engaging critical edition, and the editors made a good call to republish the essay as a standalone book with additional supporting material (including an introduction, another essay on phonetic symbolism, a look at the various manuscripts/revisions of the essay, and a coda about the legacy of Tolkien's languages). The Monsters and the Critics basically just collects several of Tolkien's academic lectures. The limited external commentary means the lectures can be overwhelming or confusing to readers who don't already have some knowledge about the topics the lectures address. A Secret Vice fixes that problem and provides a nice introduction to settle readers into the linguistic theory that Tolkien used to invent the languages of Middle-Earth, while also offering more in-depth material for more academically minded readers. (Basically, I think this book works well for both a general audience and scholars.)
THE INTRODUCTION
The editors' introduction to A Secret Vice is a quick but comprehensive overview of what Tolkien covers in the essay "A Secret Vice" itself and of some of the contemporary linguistic theory that informed Tolkien's work on languages. It is a nice reminder, as well, that Tolkien was interested in linguistics and philology, which I think is still overlooked, even as Tolkien's other academic work (medieval literary studies) continues to gain recognition.
The editors outline four major characters Tolkien desired his languages to have, which I found a useful way to organize the information from the book:
1.) aesthetically pleasing word forms
2.) fitness between form and meaning
3.) elaborate grammars
4.) illusion of historicity
I was initially skeptical about point two, since what I know about language theory is from Saussure, who declares that the signifier is unrelated to the signified (words-their forms or sounds-are not related at all to the objects or ideas they describe). Saussure's theory dominates academia today. However, the introduction presents a brief overview of earlier scholars who argued word form and meaning could be related and how this might be. I like the idea that Tolkien tried to adhere to this theory in his own language invention, even if success in that area must be largely subjective.
My one gripe is that the introduction occasionally repeats itself in a manner I find odd. My only explanation is that the authors were thinking that readers might skip about the introduction and read only certain subsections they found interesting. While such selective reading is common in academia (Who reads an entire monograph from start to end?), I think it would be unusual for someone not to read the introduction with some care, particularly when the introduction (and the book as a whole) are not very long. Repeating the same point three times is unnecessary.
A SECRET VICE
I admit it: I enjoyed this essay much more with the context of the introduction than I would have without it. The "essay" is really a lecture that Tolkien read aloud to an undergraduate society at Oxford, and reading it reminded me of similar lectures I have attended throughout my own academic career. Unlike actual essays, which tend to have a strong thesis/focus/structure, these lectures (somewhere between formal and informal), tend to be meandering. I often leave them asking myself, "What was the main point?" and Tolkien's work is no exception.
Tolkien, you see, begins with some general ponderings on language and language construction. He talks a lot about Esperanto. He, eventually, gets to reflecting on people he knows who have created languages. He takes an odd digression into why some of these languages do not actually count as invented languages or contribute to his argument. Finally, he gets to the topic one would have thought was the point all along: his own invented languages. With a bit of explanation of his process and some examples of poems he's written in his own languages, the lecture is done. I suppose it's more of a narrative than an essay. Tolkien eases into his main topic; he doesn't forefront it with a clear thesis. This isn't my favorite structure, so I appreciated that the introduction outlined some main take-aways of the lecture. Frankly, I think it might be possible for a reader to miss them. However, once you have your bearings with the lecture, it does offer fascinating insight into Tolkien's invented language production.
ESSAY ON PHONETIC SYMBOLISM
This essay is more technical. It isn't entirely clear what audience Tolkien intended it for. The book does a lot of cross-referencing between this essay and "A Secret Vice," so for many readers it's going to be most useful to shed light on "A Secret Vice." The editors point out that the essay appears to have been written in one sitting, and I do think it reads like a draft. It's a bit confusing at times, but the editorial notes are helpful.
THE MANUSCRIPTS
Publishing every existing manuscript/draft of a work is currently a popular scholarly practice and has been standard practice for all of the most recent Tolkien books. Scholars want to avoid publishing a "definitive" version of a text if one doesn't clearly exist, and they also want to provide readers with the chance to see an author's process and how his/her ideas developed and changed over drafts. In theory, this is interesting. In practice, I don't read these sections of the book. Unless I'm doing an academic study,I don't have a lot of personal interest in reading five versions of the same text to pick out what's different between them. I think a general audience would agree with me for the most part, but if you're really into Tolkien studies, this section of the book will be useful to you and give you access to material you'd otherwise need to get from the Bodleian library.
CODA
This section of the book reads most like something the authors intended for a general audience, rather than an academic one. It starts with an overview of Tolkien's work that will be old news to many serious Tolkien fans. However, it does offer some new information specifically on Tolkien's language invention and ends with a reflection on how Tolkien's work has influenced fantasy. I learned, for instance, that linguists are routinely hired to help create fantasy languages for books or for books turned to movies. (Apparently George R. R. Martin mentions Dothraki briefly in A Song of Ice and Fire, but HBO hired linguists to flesh it out for the television series.) It's not an earth-shattering section, but it's entertaining and nicely wraps up the book as a whole.
Read
February 11, 2024
χρόνος ανάγνωσης κριτικής: 50 δευτερόλεπτα
Ο τίτλος του συγκεκριμένου βιβλίου είναι από το ομώνυμο δοκίμιο / ομιλία του Τόλκιν
με τίτλο Μυστικό Ελάττωμα.
Καλύπτει 30κάτι από τις 224 σελίδες της έκδοσης. Τι είναι οι υπόλοιπες;
Filler που λέμε, γεμίσματα για να μπορέσει να εκδοθεί το δοκίμιο σε μορφή βιβλίου.
Οι πρώτες 65 σελίδες είναι η εκτενής εισαγωγή από την Δήμητρα Φήμη και τον
Andrew Higgins πάνω στην μυθοποιία τις κατασκευασμένες / φτιαχτές γλώσσες κτλ.
Μετά ακολουθεί το 1ο μέρος που είναι το δοκίμιο πάνω στο μυστικό ελάττωμα του Τόλκιν,
το να φτιάχνει γλώσσες.
Το 2ο μέρος είναι ένα τεχνικής φύσεως δοκίμιο πάνω στον φωνητικό συμβολισμό.
Το 3ο μέρος είναι ένα ολωσδιόλου άχρηστο μέρος που μόνο ένας μελετητής θα το βρει χρήσιμο,
και αφορά τα χειρόγραφα και τις σημειώσεις του Τόλκιν πάνω στο δοκίμιό του.
Αμάν πια με αυτή τη μόδα να πρέπει να εκδίδεται ό,τι έγραψε ο Τόλκιν κι όχι
απλά το τελικό προϊόν.
Τέλος υπάρχει ένα επιλογικό κεφάλαιο στο πώς οι φανταστικές γλώσσες του Τόλκιν
επηρέασαν κι άλλους, το οποίο ακολουθείται με τη σειρά του από χρονολόγιο και βιβλιογραφία.
Θα ξαναδιαβάσω το δοκίμιο 2 μήνες μετά (Δεκέμβρης '23) στην έκδοση
The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays, και τώρα (Φλεβάρης '24)
που γράφω την κριτική, 2 μήνες αργότερα δε θυμάμαι και πολλά
διότι φανταστείτε πόσο δεν μου άρεσε για να το ξεχάσω εντελώς μετά και από δεύτερη ανάγνωση.
June 30, 2023
This book, perhaps more than any other, illustrates Tolkien's first love--not the composition of stories but the creation of language. The book contains two essays (one originally a lecture Tolkien gave to the Johnson Society at Oxford). And while they are perhaps not the most accessible or appealing to the average reader, they are marvelous examples of the joy and passion one can have in a subject that most are uninterested in, and there is something lovely about being able to observe that passion, even if you don't share it.
The book is very well researched, full of footnotes and equipped with an excellent biography. A great addition to any Tolkien enthusiast's library.
The book is very well researched, full of footnotes and equipped with an excellent biography. A great addition to any Tolkien enthusiast's library.
June 27, 2024
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages is a critical edition containing a lecture delivered by J.R.R. Tolkien entitled “A Hobby for the Home” on the art of inventing languages, an essay called “Essay on Phonetic Symbolism”, and various notes and drafts pertaining to these pieces. Although the talk was originally included in another publication titled “The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays”, upon being edited by his son Christopher Tolkien, this new edition looks to revisit the assiduous process behind linguistic invention within Tolkien’s mythology and his impact on fantasy literature.
Despite being around 200 pages long, the lecture shyly takes 30 of it, while the essay on phonetic symbolism an additional 10. Shorter than expected, these pages are still very intriguing and engaging, offering readers the chance to actually read words and thoughts straight from the professor himself. Nothing like reading The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, these pieces present a more down-to-earth and insightful look at J.R.R. Tolkien’s language inventing process. What started off as a simple hobby during his younger days ended up benefiting him immensely in the grand scheme of things, as various cultures and languages play a more significant role in his own process later on.
What about all the other pages of this book? The manuscripts and notes included within this edition allow readers to grasp the nature of his language creating process through clear examples. A lot of these examples are impossible to understand, more along the line of invented languages in the form of poems rather than prose. Without a code book to decode it all, they might seem alien to some readers, but are quite interesting for what they are.
However, the introduction and the coda at the end are, surprisingly, quite fascinating too. Written by the editors, these sections of the book, much lengthier than anyone could’ve ever imagined, endeavour to portray the context around the lectures and essay, while also diving into their impact on future creators, whether it’s in books (see Ursula Le Guin or G.R.R. Martin), TV series (see Star Trek) or even video games (see Skyrim or Dragon Age).
I do have to mention that the editors quite often reference another book by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”, throughout their critical analysis of the professor’s lectures and essays. This book has in fact often been cited as crucial to better understanding Tolkien’s mythology and writing process, and “A Secret Vice” has confirmed that I’ll just have to check that one out sooner rather than later.
A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages is a short yet interesting book delving into the professor’s process behind language invention.
April 29, 2024
The real OG! Crucial to understand the man, the Professor, the genius, and his works!
May 21, 2016
I was browsing the shelves of a bookshop when my eye was caught by a book that was about to placed between thematically similar volumes. Its beautifully coloured cover seemed to call my attention just like the One Ring did — coincidentally, the cover is designed like the One Ring. Fortunately, I didn't spot any Gollums near, intent on taking back this precious gem.
As a huge Tolkien fan and as a linguist I highly appreciate the efforts the editors made, in order to show us the creative process of the two essays that are annotated in this book. Most people who read about Tolkien sooner or later stumble upon the phrase "a secret vice", Tolkien's euphemism that refers to his leisurely activity of inventing languages. This phrase is also the title of the first essay in this book. It is a speech first delivered to the Johnson Society on 29 November 1931 and then slightly adjusted for a hypothesized second delivery some twenty years later. In this essay Tolkien reflects on what he has been doing for the last 15 years - playing with language. He places this 'secret vice' in a historical light and ultimately presents some of his own creations to the society. The editors Fimi and Higgins are to be commended for their highly interesting attempts at tracing the origins of certain phrases and terms.
The second essay is an (originally) 8 page essay written on 'Oxford paper' (read the book if you want to know what this is) entitled 'Esssay on Phonetic Symbolism'. It sheds some light on Tolkien's conception of both onomatopoeia, the most iconic kind of ideophones as well as broader phonetic symbolism. Generally speaking, Tolkien is highly sensitive to the different effects different languages can have on people; he is convinced that English has a unique English sound (phonotactics?), so does Welsh, Greek and so on. The sum of the observed features of different languages can be termed the 'phonetic predilection' of that language. And connecting his reflections on this matter to what is known about his secret vices no doubt will give the reader an enlightening experience.
And as a bonus there are some manuscripts typed out, expertly annotated, that have been added to this volume.
It is worth a philological and careful read by those who have an interest in Tolkienian languages, sound symbolism and those who wish to read an interesting book.
As a huge Tolkien fan and as a linguist I highly appreciate the efforts the editors made, in order to show us the creative process of the two essays that are annotated in this book. Most people who read about Tolkien sooner or later stumble upon the phrase "a secret vice", Tolkien's euphemism that refers to his leisurely activity of inventing languages. This phrase is also the title of the first essay in this book. It is a speech first delivered to the Johnson Society on 29 November 1931 and then slightly adjusted for a hypothesized second delivery some twenty years later. In this essay Tolkien reflects on what he has been doing for the last 15 years - playing with language. He places this 'secret vice' in a historical light and ultimately presents some of his own creations to the society. The editors Fimi and Higgins are to be commended for their highly interesting attempts at tracing the origins of certain phrases and terms.
The second essay is an (originally) 8 page essay written on 'Oxford paper' (read the book if you want to know what this is) entitled 'Esssay on Phonetic Symbolism'. It sheds some light on Tolkien's conception of both onomatopoeia, the most iconic kind of ideophones as well as broader phonetic symbolism. Generally speaking, Tolkien is highly sensitive to the different effects different languages can have on people; he is convinced that English has a unique English sound (phonotactics?), so does Welsh, Greek and so on. The sum of the observed features of different languages can be termed the 'phonetic predilection' of that language. And connecting his reflections on this matter to what is known about his secret vices no doubt will give the reader an enlightening experience.
And as a bonus there are some manuscripts typed out, expertly annotated, that have been added to this volume.
It is worth a philological and careful read by those who have an interest in Tolkienian languages, sound symbolism and those who wish to read an interesting book.
April 24, 2020
I never thought I would have enjoyed a collection of essays on the creation of languages so interesting.
September 19, 2022
There are five main parts to this book:
I thoroughly enjoyed this, although I've now ordered The Monsters and the Critics, and other essays, because I would like to read A Secret Vice without all of the textual variants in the text itself. There is certainly something to be said for the approach the editors took, but a presentation of the text without emendations would have made this book a slamdunk (although it would have increased its size in a rather silly way); however, the purpose of this volume was a critical edition of the essays, and this was achieved.
Tolkien's language creation, what he called his "hobby for the home," is a touchstone of his creative work; which makes perfect sense, since, according to Tolkien himself, story and language are "coeval" (the same age), and you cannot have one without the other. In other words, Tolkien would neither have created his languages without his mythology, nor his mythology without his languages. In fact, the two might be one in the same.
(1) an introduction to the work as a whole, which gives historical context to the act of language creation and Tolkien's involvement in it;
(2) the actual essay A Secret Vice, wherein Tolkien explains his great love and mild embarrassment over his hobby;
(3) Essay on Phonetic Symbolism, wherein Tolkien operates in full linguist mode, trying to wrestle with why some sounds seem better suited to certain concepts ("smash" words for hitting things: smash, clash, thrash, bash; or the "gl-" words for appearances: glow, glitter, glisten, glower; or how in various languages the word for "cut" has an "s," "c," or "k," sound in it);
(4) the epilogue, Coda: The Reception and Legacy of Tolkien's Invented Languages, wherein the editors of this volume contextualize invented languages today, looking back at Tolkien's work, and how Tolkien's fiction jump started the language-creation act in modern fiction;
and (5) the appendixes (what is a Tolkien book without appendixes?), wherein the authors give the text of the various manuscripts from Tolkien's various drafts of the two essays in this volume. This section is particularly interesting because we can see something of his method and the way his mind worked out an essay, speech, or lecture.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, although I've now ordered The Monsters and the Critics, and other essays, because I would like to read A Secret Vice without all of the textual variants in the text itself. There is certainly something to be said for the approach the editors took, but a presentation of the text without emendations would have made this book a slamdunk (although it would have increased its size in a rather silly way); however, the purpose of this volume was a critical edition of the essays, and this was achieved.
Tolkien's language creation, what he called his "hobby for the home," is a touchstone of his creative work; which makes perfect sense, since, according to Tolkien himself, story and language are "coeval" (the same age), and you cannot have one without the other. In other words, Tolkien would neither have created his languages without his mythology, nor his mythology without his languages. In fact, the two might be one in the same.
October 30, 2021
Well, the last 100 pages were just a useless mumble, but that was still brilliant and nerdy
July 10, 2020
Tolkien ve Diller.
Ya da İcat Edilmiş/Yaratılmış Diller.
Her dil -teknik olarak- yaratılmamış mı zaten?
Dikkat!: İncelemede bahsedilen çoğu kaynak İngilizce dilindedir.
Tolkien'i sadece legendarium'ı ile tanımak yetmez; onun bu efsaneyi yaratmasıyla sonuçlanan mesleki merakını da anlamak gerekir. Bildiğiniz üzere Tolkien bir filolog. Kendi mitolojisini ve dilini yaratan bir filolog. *Burada diğer kurgu yazarlarına ASLA diss atılmamıştır.*
A Secret Vice, Tolkien'in A Hobby for the Home adında bir derneğe yaptığı konuşmanın metnidir. Ayrıca Fonetik Sembolizm üzerine yazdığı bir essay de kitabın içeriğine dahil edilmiş. Baştan sona çok dolu bir kitaptı.
Tolkien'in 'yaratılmış diller' üzerine görüşleri ile başlayalım. Söz veriyorum çok uzun olmayacak.
http://1000kitap.com/gonderi/78215024 - 1956'da Thompson'a yazdığı mektubunda Tolkien, Esperanto gibi yaratılmış dillerin, dilin devamını sağlayacak efsaneleri olmadığı için öldüğünü söylüyor. Hatta, literal olmak gerekirse, bu dillerin ölü antik dillerden (Latince, Eski Yunanca vs.) bile daha ölü olduğunu söylüyor. Kendi yarattığı diller (özellikle Quenya ve Sindarin) yaşasın diye o dillerin kullanıldığı efsaneler yani LOTR ve Silmarillion'u yazıyor. Bu efsaneleri yazmasındaki tek sebep bu değil tabii ki. Tolkien büyük bir mitoloji hayranı, sırf Kalevala'yı okuyabilmek için Fince'ye yapısal (fonetik ve morfolojik) olarak benzer bir dil (Quenya ya da Qenya) yaratıyor. Ayrıca Beowulf ve Kral Arthur üzerine yazdığı incelemeler de var. Kitap halleri mevcut. Bkz. https://1000kitap.com/kitap/beowulf--... ve https://1000kitap.com/kitap/the-fall-... (Türkçesi sanırım henüz yok)
Tolkien'in Silmarillion'u yaratmasındaki önemli diğer bir sebep de bir İngiliz mitolojisi yaratmak istemesi. İskandinav ve Viking efsanelerine o kadar özeniyor ki Hobbitteki isimlerin çoğunu bu mitolojideki cücelerden seçiyor, bkz. Dvalin, Bifur, Oin, Thorin, Gloin ve Gandalf. (Kaynak olarak https://1000kitap.com/kitap/viking-mi... bakabilirsiniz.)
Hatta.. https://1000kitap.com/kitap/the-legen... kitabının girişinde Christopher Tolkien'in paylaştığı bir mektupta(?) bu isimlerin alıntı oluşu ve Hobbit hikayesinin genel olarak özgün olmayışından yakınıyor Tolkien. Hatta bu yüzden Hobbit'i hor görüyor bile denilebilir. Yani tam anlamıyla orijinal olmadığı için Hobbit'i sevmiyor. (http://1000kitap.com/gonderi/44459957)
Tolkien'in İskandinav Mitolojisi ve Vikinglerin etkisinin altında kalması kaçınılmaz bir durum. Eğitim hayatında aldığı ve verdiği dersler ile Gordon'la kurdukları kulüp bile Sagalar üzerine. William Morris'in Völsunga Saga çevirisini okuduğu biliniyor. (Kaynak: https://hizliresim.com/EY72k1, Skeat Ödülünden kazandığı 5 pound'ın bir kısmıyla William Morris'in Völsunga Saga kitabını aldığı biliniyor. https://1000kitap.com/kitap/the-story...) Hatta bu kitaptan esinlenerek aynı Saga'nın kendi versiyonunu yazmış. Üstte bu kitabı alıntılamıştık.
Tolkien'in yarattığı diller (evet, birden fazla) konusunda birçok çekincesi var aslında. Kitapta, kendi yarattığı dilden ve o dille yazdığı bir şiirden örnek vermeden önce, giriş paragrafında mütevazi cümleler kuruyor. Mesela, "Sanırım artık kendi örneklerimin utanç verici ifşasını daha fazla erteleyemem..." Bu alçak gönüllülüğün sebebi de kitabın birkaç yerinde belli edilmiş. Tolkien akademideyken ne yazık ki çalışmaları (Hobbit öncesi) çok değer görmüyor. Hobbit 1937'de basılana kadar Tolkien 22 yıldır dillerle ilgileniyordu, kuzeni Mary'ye Nevbosh adını verdikleri dilin yaratılışında yardım etmişti, Latince ve İspanyolcadan etkilenmiş Naffarin adında bir dili de kendi yaratmıştı.
Naffarin çok karışık gelebilir ama Nevbosh dilinden biraz bahsetmek isterim. Tolkien'e göre bu dil aslında Mary'nin eseriymiş, kendisi sadece kelime konusunda ve birkaç yazım kuralında yardım etmiş ona. Nevbosh'u New Nonsense olarak çeviriyoruz. Yani... 'bosh' Türkçe'de kullandığımız "boş" kelimesinin yabancılaşmış hali. Adı Türkçeden geliyor olsa da bu dil çoğunlukla İngilizce, Latince ve Fransızcadan esinlenilerek yaratılmış. "Bosh" kullanımının nasıl yaygınlaştığına bakalım. Bu kullanıma ilk kez J.J. Morier'in Ayesha: The Maid of Kars adlı eserinde rastlanmış. Tarih 1834.
Bu kullanımın yaygınlaşması da İngiliz Şair Edward Lear'ın yazdığı parodi gazete The Nonsense Gazette'deki Profesör Bosh karakteri ile olmuş. Danimarkalı dilbilimci Otto Jespersen bu kelimenin yaygınlaşmasındaki sebebin, 1. Dünya Savaşı sırasında Fransızların Almanlara 'boche' ya da 'bosch' demelerindeki sebep ile aynı olduğunu söylemiş. Bizdeki boş ile boche aynı değil, sadece okunuşları aynı-benzer. (Boche'un tam hali portmanteau alboche'dur. Alboche ise Allemand ve Caboche'un birleşimidir. Allemand: Alman, caboche: kabak ya da kafa.)
Tolkien'in mütevaziliğine bir geri gelelim. Tolkien'in o dönemlerde yayınladığı essaylerde dillere ve yaratılmış bakış açısını belirten birkaç anahtar nokta var. Bunları özetlemek gerekirse: Tolkien dillerin devamlılığının sağlanabilmesi için kültürel zenginliğe sahip olması gerektiğini düşünüyor. Bundan üstte de bahsetmiştik. Bunun dışında "coeval and congenital" kalıbını sürekli olarak tekrarlıyor kitapta. Çağdaş ve doğuştan gelen. Bu kelimeleri biraz düşünelim. Ve biraz da Tolkien'in bu bakış açısının etkilediği diğer yaratılmış dillere değinelim: Ursula'nın Kesh dili, Okrand'ın Klingon dili ve Peterson'ın Dothraki dili. Bu dillerin hepsi Tolkien'in ilkin söylediği "kelimelerin estetik açıdan memnuniyet verici olması ve kelime-anlam ilişkisinde uygunluk belirtmesi" gerekliliğinden yola çıkılarak yaratılmıştır. Dilin, o dili konuşan insanları tanıtması, "temsil etmesi" gerekiyor. Kulağa hoş gelmesinin yanında, kelimenin, anlamı ile arasında bir bütünlük de olması gerekiyor. Bu yüzden de orijinal olması gerekiyor; Paget vb. dil meraklılarının yaptığı gibi gelişmemiş (pardon, sömürüldüğü için gelişememiş) ülkelerin duyulmamış dillerinden birkaç kelime alıp sanki bu kelimeler gökten inmiş gibi davranılmamalı. Tolkien diyor bunu. İyi de diyor.
Bu mütevazi cümlenin geçtiği paragrafta, devamında paylaşacağı dil ve şiirdeki 'fonolojinin' bizim ilgimizi çekmeyeceğinden de bahsediyor. Tolkien bu essayi yazdığında yıl 1931'di ve yaklaşık 16 yıldır dil yaratmayla uğraşıyordu. Bu uğraşının beklediği olumlu dönütleri almaması sonucunda belli ki umutsuzluğa kapılmış ama bunu belli etmemek için alçak gönüllü davranmayı seçiyor. Essay boyunca "kendi estetik zevkim için" ve "bireysel tatminlik için" gibi açıklamalar getirmesinden de anlıyoruz bunu. İşin kötüsü, Tolkien'in dil uğraşı anca kendisi öldükten sonra, oğlu Christopher'ın sayesinde ilgi görmeye başlıyor. Tolkien aslında bir filolog ama kimse onu bu mesleğiyle tanımıyor, basit bir kurgu yazarı olarak görüyorlar onu.
Kitap hakkında söylenecek daha çok şey vardır illa ki ama birkaç ilginç bilgi paylaşarak bu incelemeyi bitirmek istiyorum.
# Hobbit'in ilk taslaklarında Gandalf'ın adı Bladorthin'miş. Bu ismi Tolkien kendisi yaratmış, kökeni Gnomish ve Noldorin. Bu isim gri gezginci(wanderer) anlamına geliyor. Tolkien, Hobbit'in son halinde bu ismi Gandalf'a (Wand-Elf) çevirse de orijinaldeki anlamı korumak istemiş. Yüzüklerin Efendisi'nde Gandalf'a Mithrandir adını vermiş. Bu isim de Elf dilinde (Noldorin/Sindarin) gri gezginci anlamına geliyor. "Gandalf" her ne kadar daha estetik ve 'ekonomik' olsa da Bladorthin'in de kullanıldığını görmek isterdim.
# Önce Hobbit'i yazıp yayınladıktan sonra LOTR'u yazmaya geçtiği için ve bu iki roman arasında net bir geçiş olmayıp kocaman bir boşluk olduğu için, LOTR yazılıp yayınlandıktan sonra Tolkien Hobbit'i tekrar gözden geçirip birçok değişiklik yapmış kitapta. (Koskoca bir chapter'ı silip baştan yazdığı söyleniyor. Sırf LOTR ile uyum içinde olsun diye.)
# Tolkien'in İskandinav Mitolojisinden etkilendiğinden bahsetmiştik zaten. Bunun için bir örnek vermek istedim. Aslında, Tolkien'in etkilendiği mitoloji, dil ve edebiyatı öğrenebileceğiniz bir kitap var. https://1000kitap.com/kitap/languages... Kitabın içeriği çok zengin, fakat tek bir örnek vererek Tolkien'deki İskandinav etkisini göstermek gerekirse: Middle-Earth yani Orta-Dünya tanımı Old Norse dilindeki Midgard'dan (miðgarðr) geliyor. Eski İngilizce'de bu kelime middangeard'a dönüşüyor, tam çevirisi yok ama middle-enclosure gibi düşünebilirsiniz bunu. Tolkien de bunu alıp Middle-Earth'e çeviriyor. (Alakasız ama kelimenin ikinci kısmı 'garðr' modern ingilizce'deki yard'a dönüşüyor sonradan.) Kaynak: http://1000kitap.com/gonderi/54022293
# Tolkien'in Galler sevdasından da bahsedelim. Gnomish aslında Sindarin'in ilk versiyonlarından biri. Sindarin'in önceki adı Noldorin'di, Noldoli'nin Valinor'u terk edişinin anlatıldığı ve legendarium'ın yapıtaşı sayılan Kayıp Öykülerde sıklıkla geçen bu dil, Welshlerin yani Gallerlilerin/Gallilerin dillerine ses açısından benziyor bu dil. Gallerlilerin, Anglo-Sakson'lar tarafından sürgün edilip topraklarından def edildiği de bilinir. Tolkien'in yarattığı dil Galce'ye, bu yaratılan dilin kullanıldığı efsane de Galler tarihine benzemektedir. Tolkien'in yaratılmış dillerde görmek istediği şey de budur.
Keyifli okumalar.
Ya da İcat Edilmiş/Yaratılmış Diller.
Her dil -teknik olarak- yaratılmamış mı zaten?
Dikkat!: İncelemede bahsedilen çoğu kaynak İngilizce dilindedir.
Tolkien'i sadece legendarium'ı ile tanımak yetmez; onun bu efsaneyi yaratmasıyla sonuçlanan mesleki merakını da anlamak gerekir. Bildiğiniz üzere Tolkien bir filolog. Kendi mitolojisini ve dilini yaratan bir filolog. *Burada diğer kurgu yazarlarına ASLA diss atılmamıştır.*
A Secret Vice, Tolkien'in A Hobby for the Home adında bir derneğe yaptığı konuşmanın metnidir. Ayrıca Fonetik Sembolizm üzerine yazdığı bir essay de kitabın içeriğine dahil edilmiş. Baştan sona çok dolu bir kitaptı.
Tolkien'in 'yaratılmış diller' üzerine görüşleri ile başlayalım. Söz veriyorum çok uzun olmayacak.
http://1000kitap.com/gonderi/78215024 - 1956'da Thompson'a yazdığı mektubunda Tolkien, Esperanto gibi yaratılmış dillerin, dilin devamını sağlayacak efsaneleri olmadığı için öldüğünü söylüyor. Hatta, literal olmak gerekirse, bu dillerin ölü antik dillerden (Latince, Eski Yunanca vs.) bile daha ölü olduğunu söylüyor. Kendi yarattığı diller (özellikle Quenya ve Sindarin) yaşasın diye o dillerin kullanıldığı efsaneler yani LOTR ve Silmarillion'u yazıyor. Bu efsaneleri yazmasındaki tek sebep bu değil tabii ki. Tolkien büyük bir mitoloji hayranı, sırf Kalevala'yı okuyabilmek için Fince'ye yapısal (fonetik ve morfolojik) olarak benzer bir dil (Quenya ya da Qenya) yaratıyor. Ayrıca Beowulf ve Kral Arthur üzerine yazdığı incelemeler de var. Kitap halleri mevcut. Bkz. https://1000kitap.com/kitap/beowulf--... ve https://1000kitap.com/kitap/the-fall-... (Türkçesi sanırım henüz yok)
Tolkien'in Silmarillion'u yaratmasındaki önemli diğer bir sebep de bir İngiliz mitolojisi yaratmak istemesi. İskandinav ve Viking efsanelerine o kadar özeniyor ki Hobbitteki isimlerin çoğunu bu mitolojideki cücelerden seçiyor, bkz. Dvalin, Bifur, Oin, Thorin, Gloin ve Gandalf. (Kaynak olarak https://1000kitap.com/kitap/viking-mi... bakabilirsiniz.)
Hatta.. https://1000kitap.com/kitap/the-legen... kitabının girişinde Christopher Tolkien'in paylaştığı bir mektupta(?) bu isimlerin alıntı oluşu ve Hobbit hikayesinin genel olarak özgün olmayışından yakınıyor Tolkien. Hatta bu yüzden Hobbit'i hor görüyor bile denilebilir. Yani tam anlamıyla orijinal olmadığı için Hobbit'i sevmiyor. (http://1000kitap.com/gonderi/44459957)
Tolkien'in İskandinav Mitolojisi ve Vikinglerin etkisinin altında kalması kaçınılmaz bir durum. Eğitim hayatında aldığı ve verdiği dersler ile Gordon'la kurdukları kulüp bile Sagalar üzerine. William Morris'in Völsunga Saga çevirisini okuduğu biliniyor. (Kaynak: https://hizliresim.com/EY72k1, Skeat Ödülünden kazandığı 5 pound'ın bir kısmıyla William Morris'in Völsunga Saga kitabını aldığı biliniyor. https://1000kitap.com/kitap/the-story...) Hatta bu kitaptan esinlenerek aynı Saga'nın kendi versiyonunu yazmış. Üstte bu kitabı alıntılamıştık.
Tolkien'in yarattığı diller (evet, birden fazla) konusunda birçok çekincesi var aslında. Kitapta, kendi yarattığı dilden ve o dille yazdığı bir şiirden örnek vermeden önce, giriş paragrafında mütevazi cümleler kuruyor. Mesela, "Sanırım artık kendi örneklerimin utanç verici ifşasını daha fazla erteleyemem..." Bu alçak gönüllülüğün sebebi de kitabın birkaç yerinde belli edilmiş. Tolkien akademideyken ne yazık ki çalışmaları (Hobbit öncesi) çok değer görmüyor. Hobbit 1937'de basılana kadar Tolkien 22 yıldır dillerle ilgileniyordu, kuzeni Mary'ye Nevbosh adını verdikleri dilin yaratılışında yardım etmişti, Latince ve İspanyolcadan etkilenmiş Naffarin adında bir dili de kendi yaratmıştı.
Naffarin çok karışık gelebilir ama Nevbosh dilinden biraz bahsetmek isterim. Tolkien'e göre bu dil aslında Mary'nin eseriymiş, kendisi sadece kelime konusunda ve birkaç yazım kuralında yardım etmiş ona. Nevbosh'u New Nonsense olarak çeviriyoruz. Yani... 'bosh' Türkçe'de kullandığımız "boş" kelimesinin yabancılaşmış hali. Adı Türkçeden geliyor olsa da bu dil çoğunlukla İngilizce, Latince ve Fransızcadan esinlenilerek yaratılmış. "Bosh" kullanımının nasıl yaygınlaştığına bakalım. Bu kullanıma ilk kez J.J. Morier'in Ayesha: The Maid of Kars adlı eserinde rastlanmış. Tarih 1834.
Bu kullanımın yaygınlaşması da İngiliz Şair Edward Lear'ın yazdığı parodi gazete The Nonsense Gazette'deki Profesör Bosh karakteri ile olmuş. Danimarkalı dilbilimci Otto Jespersen bu kelimenin yaygınlaşmasındaki sebebin, 1. Dünya Savaşı sırasında Fransızların Almanlara 'boche' ya da 'bosch' demelerindeki sebep ile aynı olduğunu söylemiş. Bizdeki boş ile boche aynı değil, sadece okunuşları aynı-benzer. (Boche'un tam hali portmanteau alboche'dur. Alboche ise Allemand ve Caboche'un birleşimidir. Allemand: Alman, caboche: kabak ya da kafa.)
Tolkien'in mütevaziliğine bir geri gelelim. Tolkien'in o dönemlerde yayınladığı essaylerde dillere ve yaratılmış bakış açısını belirten birkaç anahtar nokta var. Bunları özetlemek gerekirse: Tolkien dillerin devamlılığının sağlanabilmesi için kültürel zenginliğe sahip olması gerektiğini düşünüyor. Bundan üstte de bahsetmiştik. Bunun dışında "coeval and congenital" kalıbını sürekli olarak tekrarlıyor kitapta. Çağdaş ve doğuştan gelen. Bu kelimeleri biraz düşünelim. Ve biraz da Tolkien'in bu bakış açısının etkilediği diğer yaratılmış dillere değinelim: Ursula'nın Kesh dili, Okrand'ın Klingon dili ve Peterson'ın Dothraki dili. Bu dillerin hepsi Tolkien'in ilkin söylediği "kelimelerin estetik açıdan memnuniyet verici olması ve kelime-anlam ilişkisinde uygunluk belirtmesi" gerekliliğinden yola çıkılarak yaratılmıştır. Dilin, o dili konuşan insanları tanıtması, "temsil etmesi" gerekiyor. Kulağa hoş gelmesinin yanında, kelimenin, anlamı ile arasında bir bütünlük de olması gerekiyor. Bu yüzden de orijinal olması gerekiyor; Paget vb. dil meraklılarının yaptığı gibi gelişmemiş (pardon, sömürüldüğü için gelişememiş) ülkelerin duyulmamış dillerinden birkaç kelime alıp sanki bu kelimeler gökten inmiş gibi davranılmamalı. Tolkien diyor bunu. İyi de diyor.
Bu mütevazi cümlenin geçtiği paragrafta, devamında paylaşacağı dil ve şiirdeki 'fonolojinin' bizim ilgimizi çekmeyeceğinden de bahsediyor. Tolkien bu essayi yazdığında yıl 1931'di ve yaklaşık 16 yıldır dil yaratmayla uğraşıyordu. Bu uğraşının beklediği olumlu dönütleri almaması sonucunda belli ki umutsuzluğa kapılmış ama bunu belli etmemek için alçak gönüllü davranmayı seçiyor. Essay boyunca "kendi estetik zevkim için" ve "bireysel tatminlik için" gibi açıklamalar getirmesinden de anlıyoruz bunu. İşin kötüsü, Tolkien'in dil uğraşı anca kendisi öldükten sonra, oğlu Christopher'ın sayesinde ilgi görmeye başlıyor. Tolkien aslında bir filolog ama kimse onu bu mesleğiyle tanımıyor, basit bir kurgu yazarı olarak görüyorlar onu.
Kitap hakkında söylenecek daha çok şey vardır illa ki ama birkaç ilginç bilgi paylaşarak bu incelemeyi bitirmek istiyorum.
# Hobbit'in ilk taslaklarında Gandalf'ın adı Bladorthin'miş. Bu ismi Tolkien kendisi yaratmış, kökeni Gnomish ve Noldorin. Bu isim gri gezginci(wanderer) anlamına geliyor. Tolkien, Hobbit'in son halinde bu ismi Gandalf'a (Wand-Elf) çevirse de orijinaldeki anlamı korumak istemiş. Yüzüklerin Efendisi'nde Gandalf'a Mithrandir adını vermiş. Bu isim de Elf dilinde (Noldorin/Sindarin) gri gezginci anlamına geliyor. "Gandalf" her ne kadar daha estetik ve 'ekonomik' olsa da Bladorthin'in de kullanıldığını görmek isterdim.
# Önce Hobbit'i yazıp yayınladıktan sonra LOTR'u yazmaya geçtiği için ve bu iki roman arasında net bir geçiş olmayıp kocaman bir boşluk olduğu için, LOTR yazılıp yayınlandıktan sonra Tolkien Hobbit'i tekrar gözden geçirip birçok değişiklik yapmış kitapta. (Koskoca bir chapter'ı silip baştan yazdığı söyleniyor. Sırf LOTR ile uyum içinde olsun diye.)
# Tolkien'in İskandinav Mitolojisinden etkilendiğinden bahsetmiştik zaten. Bunun için bir örnek vermek istedim. Aslında, Tolkien'in etkilendiği mitoloji, dil ve edebiyatı öğrenebileceğiniz bir kitap var. https://1000kitap.com/kitap/languages... Kitabın içeriği çok zengin, fakat tek bir örnek vererek Tolkien'deki İskandinav etkisini göstermek gerekirse: Middle-Earth yani Orta-Dünya tanımı Old Norse dilindeki Midgard'dan (miðgarðr) geliyor. Eski İngilizce'de bu kelime middangeard'a dönüşüyor, tam çevirisi yok ama middle-enclosure gibi düşünebilirsiniz bunu. Tolkien de bunu alıp Middle-Earth'e çeviriyor. (Alakasız ama kelimenin ikinci kısmı 'garðr' modern ingilizce'deki yard'a dönüşüyor sonradan.) Kaynak: http://1000kitap.com/gonderi/54022293
# Tolkien'in Galler sevdasından da bahsedelim. Gnomish aslında Sindarin'in ilk versiyonlarından biri. Sindarin'in önceki adı Noldorin'di, Noldoli'nin Valinor'u terk edişinin anlatıldığı ve legendarium'ın yapıtaşı sayılan Kayıp Öykülerde sıklıkla geçen bu dil, Welshlerin yani Gallerlilerin/Gallilerin dillerine ses açısından benziyor bu dil. Gallerlilerin, Anglo-Sakson'lar tarafından sürgün edilip topraklarından def edildiği de bilinir. Tolkien'in yarattığı dil Galce'ye, bu yaratılan dilin kullanıldığı efsane de Galler tarihine benzemektedir. Tolkien'in yaratılmış dillerde görmek istediği şey de budur.
Keyifli okumalar.
July 3, 2016
There are so many editorial notes, explanations, introductions, and appendices that by the end I forgot that the main text was by Tolkien himself. The editors set two of Tolkien's essays in context. In "A Secret Vice" Tolkien's tone is almost one of confession that he is an inventor of languages just for the fun of it. And almost as a side note, but of interest to those of us who mainly feast on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, we glimpse the idea that a language needs a people to speak it, a world for them to live in, and a history influencing their thought and speech. The second essay "On Phonetic Symbolism" is a bit more academic and harder to understand, but the main idea seems to be that the sound of a language's words and the relationship between sound and meaning is important.
I love this final tribute the editors quote from Terry Pratchett that:
"Tolkien appears in the fantasy universe in the same way that Mount Fuji appeared in old Japanese prints. Sometimes small, in the distance, and sometimes big and close-to, and sometimes not there at all, and that's because the artist is standing on Mount Fuji."
I love this final tribute the editors quote from Terry Pratchett that:
"Tolkien appears in the fantasy universe in the same way that Mount Fuji appeared in old Japanese prints. Sometimes small, in the distance, and sometimes big and close-to, and sometimes not there at all, and that's because the artist is standing on Mount Fuji."
April 21, 2016
Edited by Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins, this work contains a manuscript edition of Tolkien's best known reflection on languages and their aesthetics: his lecture on language invention titled "A Secret Vice". Beyond an annotated version of the various versions of this lecture, it also contains the first time publication of an additional talk or essay on the subject, the "Essay on Phonetic Symbolism". Finally, Fimi and Higgins provide a lengthy introduction to both texts and a short coda with reflections on the reception and elaboration of Tolkien's languages since, as well as some brief observations about the increasing popularity of conlanging. While not providing anything ground-breakingly new for the understanding of Tolkien himself, it is definitely worth having for Tolkien collectors and (especially) those interested in his views on language.
October 17, 2016
Drs. Fimi and Higgins have done Tolkien fans a real service with this new volume. In addition to the key essay giving the book its title, they have uncovered several interesting addenda including a previously omitted section of the Vice essay, details on when the paper was delivered to an audience, and a related piece on phono-aesthetics.
The meaty introduction does a great job of synthesizing the relevant data on how Tolkien invented his languages. As a half-hearted Esperantist myself, I appreciated how they brought in the details regarding Tolkien's experience with Esperanto and their nuanced treatment thereof.
The editors are also giving a 3-part seminar on the book through the Mythgard Academy.
The meaty introduction does a great job of synthesizing the relevant data on how Tolkien invented his languages. As a half-hearted Esperantist myself, I appreciated how they brought in the details regarding Tolkien's experience with Esperanto and their nuanced treatment thereof.
The editors are also giving a 3-part seminar on the book through the Mythgard Academy.
April 9, 2018
I am extremely interested in lang. and the creation of new languages (although I was a lit. student). Informative introduction that explained the beliefs of Tolkien's contemporaries on language development and forms. This was very helpful as it has been a while since I took a class on this subject. Tolkien's essay was a great read and suitable for anyone who is into the subject of inventing (fantasy) languages, even when you are not so much into The Lord of the Rings or other Tolkien works. The book might be a little to theoretical/difficult for someone with no prior experience in linguistics.
January 12, 2022
I found this book pretty hard going in places. I enjoyed reading about the inspiration behind the invented languages (Tolkien’s liking for Welsh and Finnish language etc) but there was perhaps too much detail about precise pronunciation for someone like me who has a scientific background. It will definitely appeal to anyone who has a specific knowledge of languages. The protracted Introduction was, in places, unnecessary, basically telling the reader what they were about to read! I did enjoy the last section of the book though, reading about Tolkien’s influence on modern science fiction works like Star Trek, Game of Thrones etc
August 31, 2023
I only wish I was enough of a language nerd to fully comprehend what was said. But still this highlights why Tolkien was such an amazing writer just due to his understanding of language and how it works. This is what sets him apart from everyone that tries to copy him. The stories only being a byproduct of his created language gives you that sense of history like no other author can.
He believed that poetry was the highest form of language showing symbolism based off a shared history. And he managed to create a history rich enough to give his own language that power to write poetry with.
He believed that poetry was the highest form of language showing symbolism based off a shared history. And he managed to create a history rich enough to give his own language that power to write poetry with.
Read
May 29, 2016“Tolkien would attempt to invent a hypothetical Germanic language from which Gothic supposedly emerged, Gautisk, which also would have been the language of the Geats, the people of Beowulf. He would use the same notebook he would later use to start work on his Qenya language in early 1915 (see Smith 2006, pp. 272-4).”
... may be the most Tolkienian reference ever.
... may be the most Tolkienian reference ever.
November 6, 2016
Clearly more interesting if you have an actual passion for linguistics. I just find them mildly entertaining and like the maths behind them. I would have enjoyed watching someone give the lecture more.
August 1, 2020
super interesting, gives lots of references so i can do more digging on this topic if i choose to, has reignited my desire to learn tolkien’s languages
December 4, 2020
I've heard about this essay, or presentation (it seems to be both) for ages, and had always wanted to read it. And it's finally in book form, accessible to anyone rather than only to those few scholars who can afford trips to the archives where the original copies are held.
However, having read it, I'm ambivalent. It's not really a popular work, although in many ways it's presented as one. Actually, it's two works in one -- the titular presentation, and a second, the "Essay on Phonetic Symbolism" -- both heavily annotated to show the development of them from the earliest drafts. All the strike-throughs and annotations make them heavy reading, even if the subject matter weren't already. In addition, there is a section on the manuscripts themselves, including some additional matter in the folio at the Bodleian, such as diagrams of consonant shifts, some of which have strike-throughs that indicate they were rejected but not discarded.
Quite honestly, the only part that's really of interest to the general public (as opposed to linguists and con-langers -- people who are into constructed languages as a hobby) is the Coda, in which the editors discuss the rise in interest in the systematic creation of functional languages as part of the worldbuilding of modern speculative fiction. Older authors would toss out words for alien species, or the equivalents to a few nouns and verbs in the imagined languages of their fictional peoples -- but only after Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings do we see people like Mark Okrand creating whole languages and fans voraciously seeking out every scrap of information on those languages, even seeking to learn them in order to converse on them.
(One additional note for Goodreads recordkeeping -- in addition to the numbered pages, which are credited as read by Goodreads, there is a Foreword and lengthy Introduction of almost fifty pages enumerated with Roman numerals, that are not counted by Goodreads. Both of them include enough interesting material on Tolkien's languages in the context of his Secondary Worlds that it's completely worth plowing through them, even if you don't get any credit for them).
However, having read it, I'm ambivalent. It's not really a popular work, although in many ways it's presented as one. Actually, it's two works in one -- the titular presentation, and a second, the "Essay on Phonetic Symbolism" -- both heavily annotated to show the development of them from the earliest drafts. All the strike-throughs and annotations make them heavy reading, even if the subject matter weren't already. In addition, there is a section on the manuscripts themselves, including some additional matter in the folio at the Bodleian, such as diagrams of consonant shifts, some of which have strike-throughs that indicate they were rejected but not discarded.
Quite honestly, the only part that's really of interest to the general public (as opposed to linguists and con-langers -- people who are into constructed languages as a hobby) is the Coda, in which the editors discuss the rise in interest in the systematic creation of functional languages as part of the worldbuilding of modern speculative fiction. Older authors would toss out words for alien species, or the equivalents to a few nouns and verbs in the imagined languages of their fictional peoples -- but only after Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings do we see people like Mark Okrand creating whole languages and fans voraciously seeking out every scrap of information on those languages, even seeking to learn them in order to converse on them.
(One additional note for Goodreads recordkeeping -- in addition to the numbered pages, which are credited as read by Goodreads, there is a Foreword and lengthy Introduction of almost fifty pages enumerated with Roman numerals, that are not counted by Goodreads. Both of them include enough interesting material on Tolkien's languages in the context of his Secondary Worlds that it's completely worth plowing through them, even if you don't get any credit for them).
January 25, 2025
Tolkien's words and works are always fascinating, especially (for me) when they pertain to his languages. This book covers two short talks by Professor Tolkien on the subject of conlang construction, with a wealth of notes displaying the extensive contextual research of authors Fimi and Higgins, as well as odd notes and jottings from other connected papers.
Books about Tolkien have by this point almost reached the point of hagiography, his words considered so sacred that even crossings out and emendations were seen as a necessary inclusion in this book. Whilst the editorial decision makes some sense for the purpose of conveying Tolkien's evolving thoughts - a key element in both his language construction and his views surrounding it - the result is actually to detract from the comprehensibility. One needs almost to read the book twice: once ignoring anything that isn't straight text to understand what is being said, and a second time to engage with the notes and alternative phrasings.
That said, both text and notes contained a lot that will be of interest to anyone to whom this subject appeals. Phonetics, etymologies and passages of early Quenya open up new meaning for fans of Tolkien's fictional works, while his thoughts on phonetic symbolism and the importance of mythology in language construction hold great academic appeal.
Although we are by this point scraping the Tolkien barrel dry, there is a reason that books about the father of fantasy continue to be published. The depth and scope of his worldbuilding and language construction means that there are endless treasures to be mined.
Books about Tolkien have by this point almost reached the point of hagiography, his words considered so sacred that even crossings out and emendations were seen as a necessary inclusion in this book. Whilst the editorial decision makes some sense for the purpose of conveying Tolkien's evolving thoughts - a key element in both his language construction and his views surrounding it - the result is actually to detract from the comprehensibility. One needs almost to read the book twice: once ignoring anything that isn't straight text to understand what is being said, and a second time to engage with the notes and alternative phrasings.
That said, both text and notes contained a lot that will be of interest to anyone to whom this subject appeals. Phonetics, etymologies and passages of early Quenya open up new meaning for fans of Tolkien's fictional works, while his thoughts on phonetic symbolism and the importance of mythology in language construction hold great academic appeal.
Although we are by this point scraping the Tolkien barrel dry, there is a reason that books about the father of fantasy continue to be published. The depth and scope of his worldbuilding and language construction means that there are endless treasures to be mined.
August 4, 2021
A pair of essays with a well-written and entertaining introduction that illustrates Tolkien’s ideas about the creation and evolution of languages, both personal and historic, and the inseparability of the personal language creation process from the creation of myth and history to accompany it. Tolkien’s writing in nonfiction is as beautiful if not more than in his fiction, although it is somewhat dense and thus takes a while to get through a pretty short book. Editorial footnotes are essential to understanding Tolkien’s essays, as he references a lot of contemporaneous linguistic work that the average reader would not be familiar with. For this reason I recommend that this book be read in hardcover, because without two flaps, one to mark the footnotes (which are at the immediate end of each essay and thus hard to find in a pinch while keeping the flow of the essay intact) and one to mark the progress reading, it is inconvenient at best to understand Tolkien’s meaning. His first essay, A Secret Vice, concerns the creation of personal languages and the evolution of the process as the creator matures, and also touches a little bit on how he believes a constructed language requires the “illusion of historicity” to truly be beautiful. The second essay concerns the academic theory of sound symbolism, the idea that some sounds convey inherent meaning, and what Tolkien thinks about it. Some examples of rhyming words in this section have to be read aloud in a British accent to actually understand them. This book discusses more linguistics than Lord of the Rings mythology, so keep that in mind when considering reading it, but the linguistics was fascinating to me, and entertaining historical context provided by the introduction and footnotes helps the reader understand a largely formal and old-fashioned main text. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Tolkien’s creative process, linguistics, or just anyone looking to learn about a unique and fascinating topic.
April 17, 2023
The main objective of this book was simply to publish two related essays by Tolkien: 'A Secret Vice' and his ‘Essay on Phonetic Symbolism’. While the essays proved difficult for me to follow, I give this edition 4 stars overall because of the added notes and discussions by the editors. While I would have been totally lost without them, I was now only partly lost.
The editors of this edition also provide an excellent introduction and coda. The introduction is a great foundation of knowledge that I found absolutely necessary before beginning reading the actual essays. The coda discusses the lasting impact of Tolkien's invented languages which puts these essays in perspective after finishing reading.
This edition also includes draft manuscripts of the essays which is essentially Tolkien's scrap pieces of paper that he forgot to toss in the wastebasket. While these jotted notes may provide some unique insight to a Tolkien scholar, I had to skip over them.
Overall, if you're interested in reading Tolkien's own discussion on why he loves inventing new languages so much, you should pick up this edition since it provides nice additions by the editors that are absolutely necessary in order to better understand the essays.
The editors of this edition also provide an excellent introduction and coda. The introduction is a great foundation of knowledge that I found absolutely necessary before beginning reading the actual essays. The coda discusses the lasting impact of Tolkien's invented languages which puts these essays in perspective after finishing reading.
This edition also includes draft manuscripts of the essays which is essentially Tolkien's scrap pieces of paper that he forgot to toss in the wastebasket. While these jotted notes may provide some unique insight to a Tolkien scholar, I had to skip over them.
Overall, if you're interested in reading Tolkien's own discussion on why he loves inventing new languages so much, you should pick up this edition since it provides nice additions by the editors that are absolutely necessary in order to better understand the essays.
October 14, 2020
Although J. R. R. Tolkien is not the originator of the field of invented languages, his globally-read works on his fantastic world of Middle-earth caused a huge flowering of popular attention to making new languages for entertainment and art, and gave us insights into how we can frame our communication and our world. This book opens up for the reader the works Tolkien produced for explaining and detailing his thinking on the subject.
Beginning with his varieties of Elvish and other written and spoken languages of his own making, we now find filmmakers and authors synthesizing all kinds of speech and writing, paralleling and drawing upon the vast store of human languages already operating in our world. In this book we get at the roots of Tolkien's inspiration.
Beginning with his varieties of Elvish and other written and spoken languages of his own making, we now find filmmakers and authors synthesizing all kinds of speech and writing, paralleling and drawing upon the vast store of human languages already operating in our world. In this book we get at the roots of Tolkien's inspiration.
December 7, 2017
A language is not merely aesthetic and symbolic sounds grouped together to form a signifying point or message, but it is also the cultural and mythological history that is entrenched within every vowel and consonant.
The nerd in me comes out.
This is a great introduction into the world and art of creating languages. And, it is jammed with information that any language nut will find interesting.
It is easy to read, easy to follow, and short enough to read leisurely. Plus, Tolkien's writing style shines through and will captivate any one who takes the time to "listen."
The nerd in me comes out.
This is a great introduction into the world and art of creating languages. And, it is jammed with information that any language nut will find interesting.
It is easy to read, easy to follow, and short enough to read leisurely. Plus, Tolkien's writing style shines through and will captivate any one who takes the time to "listen."
June 22, 2017
I read this on the flight back from a conference and loved it. As a conlanger, it was interesting to revisit the historical origins of the West's most well known one and learn more about his thoughts. I have always been more into understanding Tolkien's creative process than in LotR, and the Introduction was good and focused, totally accessible to a linguistics-minded person who has only read LotR once.
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