lmp: I think it may possibly be centered around a classism thing. The hobbits are of a different class than the other races; Frodo notes feeling "rustic and untutored", when the Rangers of Ithilien observe the standing silence. We don't really have that anymore. There's sort of two classes: children, and adults. When people like McKiernan try to mimic hobbits with warrows, he ends up writing them like children, which comes off as annoying.
We have such an emphasis on "different, not better" . . .hobbits are 'quaint' and 'charming', and it denotes a difference of status. Frodo loses that 'quaintness' by the end of the book (innocence, I suppose); in a way, he has to so that he can become an equal of such people as Aragorn (who are not in any way 'quaint').
That's just what occurs to me right now. Again, it's like aping the lingual style instead of internalizing it. I think that Kay made a wise choice not to attempt a hobbit-like race--he had his Daleri for the innocence and simplicity . . .actually, now that I think of it, the Daleri charm me quite readily. *L* So I'm not entirely certain, the above is merely an idea.
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