Typos (or: Is it a Freudian slip?)

[davem]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

My theory is that he was too involved with the languages to realise the absurdity of some names or dubious meanings . .. I mean I am sorry but Tuna as a place name?

Its probably more complicated. Tolkien was (overly??) serious about his language creation, & couldn't simply change a single word or name without changing the structure, grammar, syntax &, er.... stuff of the whole language. Quenya & Sindarin were interconnected, & he couldn't change 'Teleporno' without also changing 'Celeborn', & if he'd changed the names he'd have had to change the meaning of the roots (oo er missus!).

The main reason Tolkien's languages are so convincing is that they aren't just collections of random syllables, but 'actual' languages, with their own rules. CT points out that he wouldn't simply invent a new word for one of his languages, but would have to work out the changes that word would have undergone over, potentially, thousands of years.

I can't help feeling that he would have been fully aware of the 'double meanings' ......