I need some reasons...

[Mithalwen]

Maybe not as daft as it sounds......

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/05/13/071222.php

What do you mean no passport? Not a current one or never had one? !!!!!!!! But it is such a small country .. "you can't swing a cat without putting it through customs"?

My old one got me into New Zealand ....... which isn't far off.....

[Assasin]

I love elvish.... it's so flowy, and pretty. It's very hard to speak though. As long as you don't go mad while trying to learn it, I would say go for it!

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

What do you mean no passport? Not a current one or never had one? !!!!!!!! But it is such a small country .. "you can't swing a cat without putting it through customs"?

I've never had one! The seaside is quite far enough for me.

This story about needing Klingon and Elvish interpreters, it could be another case of 'red tape'. You can get all kinds of allowances for being able to speak unusual languages if you are a government employee, even if you never get to use them; this is particularly true in jobcentres. The point is that they must have the capacity to cope if someone does make contact who can only use x language. Though I'm sure if I requested to learn Elvish then I'd be chased out of the building.

The recent story here of someone who was teaching teenagers Elvish isn't all that barmy in my opinion. If someone isn't interested in learning but is interested in LotR and responds to learning Elvish then it can be a 'way in' to learning other, more conventional subjects.

[Nimrodel_9]

I love Elvish and though I don't speak much I enjoy memorizing lines just so that when someone asks if I can speak it, I can say something. My brother says the same thing though. I don't see it as a waste of time. Just part of my obsession.

Oh my gosh, Assasin! You just barely joined and already you have over 100 posts! *bows to Assasin and scuttles away*

[Boromir88]

I never cared much for the languages (elvish or any other, maybe a bit of the secret dwarf language Khuzdul). I have a dear friend that knows Tolkien's elvish well and translates anything I ask for.

I've never had much care for learning the languages, but that's just because it doesn't interest me (Four years of French is enough). If you like learning it...then continue to do so .

[The Saucepan Man]

Why do we discuss Tolkien here on the Downs? Because it's something we enjoy and it gives us a better appreciation of his tales.

Wanting to learn Elvish is a similar thing. It's not for me, but if you enjoy it then why not?

Although having said that, I do find it amusing that people are queuing up to learn Elvish when teachers seem to have such a hard time getting children to learn real life languages (or at least they did when I was at school).

And why not any of the other Middle-earth languages. I suppose it's that Elvish (both Sindarin and Quenya) are so much more developed than others.

[Formendacil]

I can understand wanting to learn Quenya or Sindarin. I'm not a linguist or philogist by any means, but I have always been fascinated by foreign languages, and wish I could speak them.

However....

I am far too lazy to spend that much time on any language other than English. Also, I think my mind is far too strongly grounded in this crazy language. I have become quite proficient in it, and have thus perhaps lost my ability to wrap my mind around other tongues.

I can pronounce Quenya and Sindarin better than the man on the street, and I know the common roots, but that's it.

I can pronounce Latin, recognise various words, have various prayers committed to memory, and can vaguely grasp a bit of the grammatical structure, but that's it...

I love the sounds of German, Anglo-Saxon, and the Meditarrean languages. I love foreign accents. But I don't know any more than a couple phrases and words in German. And in French, but French I don't enjoy as much...

That's it. I understand the motive, but not the drive to translate it into effort. I applaud you for it, though!

[Celebuial]

I've also been attempting to learn Quenya and Sindarin. I've been doing it for about two years but I haven't got very far because I'm also studying for my A-levels. Most of my friends think I'm crazy but a few understeand. Some of them have even started to reply to my greetings in the same tongue!

Who cares what your friends think? Eventually they'll get used to it. One guy that I just met in Russia can speek Gailic(ok I cant spell that!) and although he belives that I'm insane and taking things too far, he normally translates anything I say in Elvish to English, French or German (and sometimes Spanish) for our other friends.

I say you should just go for it! I'm sure you're friends have obsessions that you don't understand or share but you just have to accept that that is a part of them, and they'll just have to accept that Elvish is a part of you!

[Finwe-89]

Most important reason: It's fun, and enjoyable!