Languages: The Poll! :D

[Greg Davis]

That's the book that I use for all of my translation purposes, Jim, and it works pretty good. There are also a number of internet sites dedicated to the languages of Tolkien, and, as I mentioned, downloadable instructional programs, though, like I said, I haven't really done anything with them.



Greg

[Ezri's Toy]

If you have studied and retained any vocabulary and grammar from a second language, then you have acquired a second language.

Fluency is a whole different issue. . . .

[Cochrane]

qerlin: I like all the other Germanic languages better than English. Even Gothic! I also like Hebrew better than English.

[qerlin]

Exactly the opposite, cochrane. I hate the Germanic and Semitic languages, in general. Just plain ugly, IMO. Though German is the perfect language to shout at people in; you can say "How beautiful you are!" and non-speakers think you're gonna kill them.

Arabic and Hebrew just sound like you're gonna hock one up.

The Romance languages just flow better. Italian and Spanish (real Spanish, not the Amero-Mexi-Rican version) are tops, I thnk. Japanese sounds great & is easy to learn to speak...but pick a friggin' character set guys!

[Calcoran]

Had to think for a while before deciding between German and English ... but I guess my English is a bit better than my German, so English I voted.

That said, I think German is perfect for scientific minded people. Very precise (sometimes painstakingly, just look at the German version of any product's instructions, it's twice as long as any other language ), very logical (or at least rule heavy). Of course, it sounds a bit harsh. Try female Japanese for a language that sounds nice (but <I>not</I> male Japanese, which sounds worse than German ).

[Liquidator Queeg]

Does speaking Jibberish count as a second language? I speak it fluently.

I know a smattering of German, but not enough to carry a conversation with someone who doesn't speak English. Of course, I live in Canada, so I know a fair bit of French, but only Quebecois swear words.

How about Newfoundland English? Believe me, if you don't have a clue, you won't understand it!

Cheers,

Steve

[thiskitty]

Originally posted by Ineti
Actually, there is a book. It's titled "The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth," by Ruth S. Noel. I haven't read it (got it for my wife) so I can't attest to the quality...

This book is OK, but it was published before The Silmarillion, and has some extensive errors. Best bet is to go online, here's a list of places to get you started:

www.ardalambion.com - The best source for Tolkienian linguistics on the net. Essays on Sindarin, Quenya, Noldorin and lots more by Helge K. Fauskanger.

www.elvish.org/gwaith - A good source for information on Sindarin. Has a nice summary of Sindarin grammer as well as sound clips of Elvish from the movies.

www.councilofelrond.com - Online class for Sindarin. Lots of elven language resources.

www.eldalamberon.com - Art, music and language and info about Parma Eldalamberon, “The book of Elven Tounges” which contain the most extensive lexicon of the elven languages from Tolkein’s notes.

Yes, this is what I do with my time, Ineti. My secret is out, and you know all my elven resources.

[Ineti]

Originally posted by thiskitty
Yes, this is what I do with my time, Ineti. My secret is out, and you know all my elven resources.

S'okay, babe. I know where you work and how terribly busy you are, sometimes.

[KillerWhale]

Does Technobabble count as a second language? 'cause I'm fluent

[Evan van Eyk]

My second language is Englishmy third is Latin and very distant far off is Spanish.

[Cochrane]

I like Sign Language and Castillian.

[First of Two]

I have some Spanish, and a smattering (Not more than 20 words) of about a dozen other languages.

However, I chose "Other," because of all the non-english languages, the one I speak most fluently, almost as good as a native...

...is "Cat."

http://videoforcats.com/cattalk.htm (The basics)