Editing Westron

{{short description|Language invented by J. R. R. Tolkien}}
{{good article}}
{{use British English|date=June 2024}}
{{use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
[[File:Linguistic Map of Middle-Earth.svg|thumb|upright=1.75|According to [[Tom Shippey]], Tolkien invented parts of [[Middle-earth]] to resolve the linguistic puzzle he had accidentally created by using three different [[Pseudotranslation in The Lord of the Rings|pseudo-translated]] European languages for those of peoples in his legendarium.{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=131-133}}]]

'''Westron''' (called '''''Adûni''''' in Westron, or '''''Sôval Phârë''''' meaning "Common Speech" in Westron), is the constructed language that was supposedly the '''Common Speech''' used in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s world of [[Middle-earth]] in the [[Third Age]], at the time of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. It ostensibly developed from [[Adûnaic]], the ancient language of [[Númenor]]. In practice in the novel, Westron is nearly always represented by modern English, in a process of [[Pseudotranslation in The Lord of the Rings|pseudo-translation]] which also sees [[Rohirric]] represented by [[Old English]]. That process allowed Tolkien not to develop Westron or Rohirric in any detail. In the Appendices of the novel, Tolkien gives some examples of Westron words.

== Context ==

{{further|Languages constructed by J. R. R. Tolkien}}

From his schooldays, [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] was, in the words of his biographer [[John Garth (author)|John Garth]], "effusive about philology"; his schoolfriend Rob Gilson called him "quite a great authority on [[etymology]]".{{sfn|Garth|2003|p=16}} Tolkien was a professional [[Philology|philologist]], a scholar of comparative and historical [[linguistics]]. He was especially familiar with [[Old English]] and related languages. He remarked to the poet and ''[[The New York Times]]'' book reviewer [[Harvey Breit]] that "I am a philologist and all my work is philological"; he explained to his American publisher [[Houghton Mifflin]] that this was meant to imply that his work was "all of a piece, and <em>fundamentally linguistic</em> in inspiration. ... The [[Languages constructed by J. R. R. Tolkien|invention of languages]] is the foundation. The 'stories' were made rather to provide a world for the languages than the reverse. To me a name comes first and the story follows."<ref name="Letter 165" group=T>{{harvnb|Carpenter|2023|loc=#165 to [[Houghton Mifflin]], 30 June 1955 }}</ref>

Tolkien created a large family of [[Elvish languages (Middle-earth)|Elvish languages]], the best-known and most developed being [[Quenya]] and [[Sindarin]].{{sfn|Hostetter|2013}} In addition, he sketched in the [[Men in Middle-earth|Mannish]] languages of Westron's precursor, [[Adûnaic]], and Rohirric;{{sfn|Fauskanger|2012}} the Dwarvish language of [[Khuzdul]];<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Carpenter|2023|loc=#176 to [[Naomi Mitchison]], 8 December 1955 }}</ref> the [[Ent]]ish language;<ref name="Appendix F" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}}, Appendix F</ref> and the [[Black Speech]] of the [[Orc]]s.<ref name="Words, Phrases and Passages" group=T>{{cite journal |last=Tolkien |first=J. R. R. |author-link=J. R. R. Tolkien |title=Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in 'The Lord of the Rings' |journal=[[Parma Eldalamberon]] |issue=17 |year=2007 |pages=11–12}}</ref>

== Linguistic mapping ==

{{further|Pseudotranslation in The Lord of the Rings}}

When writing ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (1954–55), a sequel to ''[[The Hobbit]]'' (1937), Tolkien came up with the literary device of using real languages to "translate" fictional languages. He pretended that he had not composed the book himself but translated it from Westron (named ''Adûni'' in Westron) or Common Speech (''Sôval Phârë'', in Westron) into English. The purpose of this was to provide an explanation for why the Common Speech is almost entirely rendered as English in the novel. This device of rendering an ''imaginary'' language with a ''real'' one was carried further by rendering:{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=131-133}}

* [[Rohirric]], the language of [[Rohan (Middle-earth)|Rohan]] (related to Westron) by the [[Mercian dialect]] of [[Old English]];{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=131-133}}
* names in the tongue of [[Dale (Middle-earth)|Dale]] by [[Old Norse language|Old Norse]] forms;{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=131-133}}
* names of the [[Kingdom of Rhovanion]] by [[Gothic language|Gothic]] forms, thus mapping the genetic relation of his fictional languages on to the existing historical relations of the [[Germanic languages]].{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=131-133}}

The whole device of linguistic mapping was essentially a fix for the problems Tolkien had created for himself by using real Norse names for the Dwarves in ''[[The Hobbit]]'', rather than inventing new names in [[Khuzdul]], the language of the Dwarves. This seemed a clever solution, as it allowed him to explain the book's use of Modern English as representing Westron.{{sfn|Fimi|2010|pp=189–191}} Because of this, Tolkien did not need to develop Westron grammar or vocabulary in any detail.{{sfn|Hemmi|2010|pp=147–174}} 

[[File:Pre-Rohirric, Westron, Gothic, Old English, Modern English.svg|thumb|upright=1.75|center|The mapping of [[Old English]] to Modern English is like the mapping of [[Rohirric]] to Westron, and Tolkien uses the two Germanic languages to represent the two Middle-earth languages.<ref name="Tolkien Rohanese" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|2001|p=8}}</ref> Further, Tolkien uses [[Gothic language|Gothic]] names for the early leaders of the Northmen of Rhovanion, ancestors of Rohan.<ref name="Tolkien Gothic" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1980|p=311}}</ref>{{sfn|Smith|2020|pp=202–214}} ]]

Tolkien went further, using [[Gothic language|Gothic]] names for the early leaders of the Northmen of [[Rhovanion]], ancestors of Rohan, and for the first Kings of Rohan.<ref name="Tolkien Gothic" group=T/>{{sfn|Smith|2020|pp=202–214}} Gothic was an [[East Germanic languages|East Germanic language]], and as such is a forerunner of Old English, not a direct ancestor.{{sfn|Madoff|1979}} [[Christopher Tolkien]] suggests that his father intended the correspondence between the language families to extend back to the ancestral language of the Northmen.<ref name="Tolkien Gothic" group=T/> 

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto;"
|+ Mapping of names of leaders{{sfn|Smith|2020|pp=202–214}}<ref name="Tolkien Gothic" group=T/><ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955|loc=Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, II: The House of Eorl}}</ref> 
|-
! Realm !! Leader's name !! Etymology !! Meaning !! [[Pseudotranslation in The Lord of the Rings|"Translated from"]]
|-
| Northmen<br/>of [[Rhovanion]] || Vidugavia || [[Latinisation of names|Latinised]] from<br/>[[Gothic language|Gothic]] ''widu'', ''gauja'' || wood-dweller || (Pre-Rohirric)
|-
| Northmen<br/>of Rhovanion || Marhwini || [[Gothic language|Gothic]] ''marh'', ''wini'' || horse-friend || (Pre-Rohirric)
|- 
| [[Rohan, Middle-earth|Rohan]] || Folcwine || [[Old English]] ''folc'', ''winë'' || folk-friend || Rohirric
|- 
| Rohan || [[Éowyn]] || [[Old English]] ''eo[h]'', ''wyn'' || horse-joy || Rohirric
|}

== Language ==

Westron (also called Adûni) supposedly developed from [[Adûnaic]], the ancient language of [[Númenor]].<ref name="Sauron Defeated" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1992|pp=241, 247–250, 413–440}}</ref> It became the [[lingua franca]] for all the peoples of [[Middle-earth]]:{{sfn|Solopova|2009|pp=70, 84}} Tolkien gives some examples of Westron words in Appendix F to ''The Lord of the Rings'', where he summarizes Westron's origin and role as ''[[lingua franca]]'' in Middle-earth:<ref name="Appendix F" group=T/>

{{blockquote|The language represented in this history by English was the Westron or 'Common Speech' of the West-lands of Middle-earth in the Third Age. In the course of that age it had become the native language of nearly all the speaking-peoples (save the Elves) who dwelt within the bounds of the old kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor ... At the time of the War of the Ring at the end of the age these were still its bounds as a native tongue.<ref name="Appendix F" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}}, Appendix F</ref>}}

He explains further that:

{{blockquote|the Númenóreans had maintained ... havens upon the western coasts of Middle-earth for the help of their ships; and one of the chief of these was at Pelargir near the Mouths of Anduin. There Adûnaic was spoken, and mingled with many words of the languages of lesser men it became a Common Speech that spread thence along the coasts among all that had dealings with Westernesse.<ref name="Appendix F" group=T/>}}

Tolkien gives a few names in Westron, saying that ''Karningul'' was the translation of Elvish ''Imladris'', [[Rivendell]], while ''Sûza'' was Westron for [[the Shire]]. Hobbit surnames Took and Boffin were "anglicize[d]" from Westron ''Tûk'' and ''Bophîn''. The original form of Brandybuck was ''Zaragamba'', "Oldbuck", from Westron ''zara'', "old", and ''gamba'', "buck".<ref name="Appendix F" group=T/> He explains, too, that [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam[wise]]] and Ham[fast] "were really called ''Ban'' and ''Ran''", shortened from Westron ''Banazîr'' and ''Ranugad''.<ref name="Appendix F" group=T/> Tolkien states that these had been nicknames, meaning "halfwise, simple" and "stay-at-home", which he had chosen to render by English names, from Old English ''samwís'' and ''hámfoest'' with equivalent meanings.<ref name="Appendix F" group=T/> [[Nick Groom]] states that  ''Sûza'', ''Banazîr'', and the Westron for Sam's surname "Gamgee", ''Galbasi'', are all derived from [[Gothic language|Gothic]], a precursor of [[Old English]], adding a further layer of linguistic complexity to the pseudotranslation<!--, with the Gothic names representing survivals from Adûnaic-->.{{sfn|Groom|2022|p=101}}

The word ''[[Hobbit]]'', which [[Editorial framing of The Lord of the Rings|Tolkien's fictional persona]], the narrator of the appendices, admits "is an invention", could, he explains, easily be a much-worn form of the Old English ''holbytla'', "hole-dweller". This corresponds to the Westron dialect form ''kuduk'', used in [[Bree (Middle-earth)|Bree]] and the Shire, which the narrator supposes was probably a worn form of the word ''kûd-dûkan'', of the same meaning, stating that Merry had heard King [[Théoden]] of Rohan use this name for ''Hobbit''.<ref name="Appendix F" group=T/>

== References ==

=== Primary ===

{{reflist|group=T|30em}}

=== Secondary ===

{{reflist|30em}}

== Sources ==

* {{ME-ref|Letters}}   <!--Carpenter 2023-->
* {{cite web |url=http://folk.uib.no/hnohf/mannish.htm |title=Various Mannish Tongues - the sadness of Mortal Men? |first=Helge K. |last=Fauskanger |author-link=Helge Fauskanger |work=Ardalambion |publisher=[[University of Bergen]] |year=2012 |access-date=24 October 2012}}
* {{cite book |last=Fimi |first=Dimitra |author-link=Dimitra Fimi |title=Tolkien, Race, and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |year=2010 |orig-year=2008 |isbn=978-0-230-21951-9 |oclc=222251097}}
* {{cite book |last=Garth |first=John |author-link=John Garth (author) |title=Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth |title-link=Tolkien and the Great War |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-00711-953-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Groom |first=Nick |author-link=Nick Groom |title=Twenty-First Century Tolkien: What Middle-earth Means to Us Today |publisher=[[Atlantic Books]] |year=2022 |isbn=978-1838-95700-1}}
* {{cite journal |last=Hemmi |first=Yoko |title=Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and His Concept of Native Language: Sindarin and British-Welsh |journal=[[Tolkien Studies]] |volume=7 |year=2010 |pages=147–174 |doi=10.1353/tks.0.0063 |s2cid=170366632 |via=[[Project Muse]] |url=https://doi.org/10.1353/tks.0.0063|url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite encyclopedia |last=Hostetter |first=Carl F. |author-link=Carl F. Hostetter |title=Languages Invented by Tolkien |editor-last=Drout |editor-first=Michael D. C. |editor-link=Michael D. C. Drout |encyclopedia=[[J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia]] |year=2013 |orig-year=2007 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-415-86511-1 |pages=332–344}}
* {{cite journal |last=Madoff |first=Mark |title=The Useful Myth of Gothic Ancestry |journal=Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture |volume=8 |issue=1 |date=1979 |issn=1938-6133 |doi=10.1353/sec.1979.0019 |pages=337–350}}
* {{ME-ref|ROAD}}     <!--Shippey 2005-->
* {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Arden R. |author-link=Arden R. Smith |chapter=Invented Languages and Writing Systems |editor-last=Lee |editor-first=Stuart D. |editor-link=Stuart D. Lee |title=[[A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien]] |date=2020 |orig-year=2014 |publisher=[[Wiley Blackwell]] |isbn=978-1119656029 |oclc=1183854105 |pages=202–214}}
* {{ME-ref|Solopova}} <!--Solopova 2009-->
* {{ME-ref|ROTK}}     <!--Tolkien 1955-->
* {{ME-ref|UT}}       <!--Tolkien 1980-->
* {{ME-ref|SD}}       <!--Tolkien 1992-->
* {{cite journal |last=Tolkien |first=J. R. R. |author-link=J. R. R. Tolkien |title=The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor |editor-last=Hostetter |editor-first=Carl F. |editor-link=Carl F. Hostetter |journal=[[Vinyar Tengwar]] |issue=42 |date=July 2001}}

{{Languages of Middle-earth}}
{{Middle-earth}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tolkien linguistic studies]]
[[Category:Middle-earth languages]]