Languages of Middle-earth The Common Speech and its speakers in The Lord of the Rings Nikolas Koravos ll the writers of fantasy sto­ others as a second language. In their native language, the Westron ries who want to create particular, it is strange that the Ores tongue (LOTR 1163). The Common credible secondary worlds adopted Westron, which was after Speech was the variety of Westron A are faced with the same all the language of their enemies, that spread throughout Middle-earth problem: the languages spoken by and spoke it in such a manner that during the Nümenorean era. The the inhabitants of their world. It is Pippin found much of their talk intel­ official status of the Westron played clear to everyone that in any ‘possi­ ligible (LOTR 466). It is these prob­ and important part in its expansion ble’ world nations, tribes or states lematic areas that will be discussed among the native population. The should have their respective lan­ in this paper. linguist Janet Holmes mentions that guage or languages. This need is in Despite the existence of these "where one group abrogates politi­ conflict with basic narrative necessi­ problems it should not be forgotten cal power and imposes its language ties: how will the characters of each that Tolkien had studied linguistics along with its institutions - govern­ story interact with people from other and paid exceptional attention to the ment, administration, law courts, regions? And if the main characters credibility of his fantasy or ‘second­ education, religion - it is likely that come from different linguistic back­ ary’ world. If the origins and history minority groups will find themselves grounds, how will the author min­ of the Common Speech, as Tolkien under increasing pressure to adopt imise the difficulties this fact cre­ presents them, are analysed, then the language of the dominant ates? Each writer provides his or most of the problems will disappear. group" (Holmes 60). Historically, her own solution to this problem. In there are many examples of lan­ The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien Numenorean ascendancy guage shift towards the language of resolved the issue by postulating a The first thing to point out is that the dominant group. The most rele­ ‘lingua franca’ for the area in which Westron was originally the speech vant ones here are the spread of his story takes place: the Common of the people of Numenor, who had Greek throughout the empire of Speech or Westron. Most readers ruled the Northwest of Middle-earth Alexander the Great and the spread accept this as a clever technique on for many years. It is therefore quite of Latin throughout the Roman his part, but from a linguistic point of natural that their language was spo­ empire. It therefore seems entirely view it should be investigated ken in all the lands that were part of logical that in many areas of Middle- whether it is indeed justifiable for so their empire, and also in many near­ earth the local languages were many different groups of people to by areas. In the appendices of The gradually displaced by the Westron. use the same language in order to Lord of the Rings we learn that the In some other areas, however, communicate with each other. The Numenoreans started their imperial especially in places where strong final question is the following: is the expansion in the year 1800, Second nationalist feelings existed or in idea really credible? Age (LOTR 1172). The end of the cases of isolated groups, the local The first impression is that the kingdom of Arnor and the beginning languages survived and the use of the Common Speech in so of the decline of Gondor - the two Common Speech was learned only many lands by so many people is Numenorean centres of power in as a second language. This seems not quite convincing with respect to Middle-earth - came more then to be the case with the Rohirim, and particular cases. For instance, it three thousand years later (LOTR also with the Elves and Dwarves. seems strange that the Hobbits 1123). Even at the time that the These groups never abandoned speak the same language as the story of The Lord of the Rings takes their native languages, although people of Gondor since the two place it is clear that the kingdom of many individuals, especially the nations had virtually no contact for Gondor is the most powerful and most educated ones, had good hundreds of years. Amor, the North prestigious state in the area. command of the Common. Among kingdom where Westron was spo­ During the years of Numenorean the Dmedain and the Dunlendings, ken, was dissolved in the year 1974, supremacy the Westron tongue was on the other hand, it seems possible Third Age (LOTR 1123). From that the language of the most presti­ that only very few people could time and for over a thousand years gious ethnic group in the north-west speak the Common Speech with the Hobbits had little contact with of Middle-earth. In addition, the fluency. people from other areas. During Numenorean empire and later the this time, it seems unlikely that kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor Hobbit isolation Hobbit and Gondorian varieties of apparently used the Westron as the Although it is logical that the people the Westron should remain mutually language of administration, educa­ of Middle-earth adopted the intelligible. There is also the ques­ tion and perhaps religion. Tolkien Common, it is not as easy to explain tion of how and why Hobbits and explains that the Numenoreans, the fact that varieties spoken in dif­ other Middle-earth nations adopted who at first used the Elvish lan­ ferent regions remained mutually the Common speech - in many guage Quenya as the official, later intelligible after the Nümenorean cases as their native language, in abandoned it and replaced it with power waned. The Hobbits in partic­ 38 The Common Speech ular, being isolated from the outer and trade between the North and Westron? Two problems exist here. world after the fall of the kingdom of the South and some travellers, The first is related to the fact that Arnor, should have developed (in especially Dwarves, passed through the contact between the two races the one thousand years of their The Shire (LOTR 56). The Common was minimal; the second is that, seclusion), a variety which should Speech was therefore still a useful according to Tolkien, Sauron had not be easy for a Gondorian speak­ lingua franca and there was motiva­ developed his own ‘Black Speech’ er to understand easily, even if the tion for Hobbits to preserve a style and tried to teach it to his Orcish two varieties had common origins. which would be intelligible to for­ subjects but failed. Why did the Ores This seems to be the case with such eigners. It seems that Hobbits, adopt the Common instead of the languages as French and Italian in especially the most educated, culti­ Black Speech? the real world - both had Latin as vated and reproduced a relatively Let us begin the discussion with their ancestor, but still they are not formal style of speaking, one that the first problem. In order for the mutually intelligible and are consid­ remained close to ‘book language’, Ores to have developed a version of ered to be different languages. How a style which might also serve as the Common they must have had in is it possible that the Hobbits in the means of communication with for­ the past some kind of contact with it. story could communicate so easily eigners. This style was probably The book provides us with little infor­ with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, king prestigious, as Gaffer Gamgee’s mation. It is nowhere mentioned that Theoden, Beregond, Treebeard and comments on Bilbo’s ‘educated’ Ores had diplomatic or trade rela­ so many characters coming from speech implies: "a very nice well- tions with Human kingdoms. The different regions? spoken gentlehobbit is Mr. Bilbo" only way to address this problem is The best explanation for this (LOTR 34). It therefore seems that a therefore by making certain hypothe­ phenomenon is that the language form of ‘standard’ Westron remained ses, for some of which evidence can used by Hobbits and people in other influential among Hobbits, some­ be drawn from the texts of The areas had been standardised and thing which explains why Hobbits Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. codified long before the story took had few communication problems in First of all, it is possible that Ores place, so that many aspects of the story: they were familiar with this occasionally came in contact with the speech, and most notably syntax, kind of language. It should not be Common Speech through Human basic vocabulary and morphology, forgotten that with the exception of captives who worked as slaves in remained unaffected. Indeed, Sam, the other Hobbits who appear Orcish dungeons. There is some evi­ Tolkien mentions in his prologue in the story - Frodo, Merry and dence that Ores did use prisoners in that at the time Hobbits started Pippin - belong to 'noble', aristo­ such a way. In The Hobbit, Tolkien making settlements within cratic families and were therefore mentions that (non-Orcish) prisoners Numenorean territory, they "learned members of the educated middle or and slaves were forced to work "till their letters and began to write after upper classes. This means that they they die for want of air and light" in the manner of the Dunedain" (LOTR were knowledgeable of ‘book lan­ goblin dungeons (69). It is therefore 16).