Words and Names in Tolkien's Work - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Lalwendë · 03-10-2007, 04:44 AM

Squatter - a bit of mere coincidence is no matter, I'm intending this to be fun. I was thinking partly about the fascinating speculation we had on the Chapter by Chapter threads; they gave me a lot of new ideas to ponder on, and we had some brief forays into words there. What do you reckon to a bit of fun with words?

Liking the reactions to the word thing! Especially the Tolkien Thing! I suppose it's a name which gets my attention due to the place-name Thingwall, a place where I have relatives - it's quite a spiky word I suppose, but I have always preferred the sound of Germanic words to Latin ones. Thingol being a more 'modern' variant of Singollo is interesting, suggesting a change in the actual way that the elves spoke - just make the sounds th and s and see the difference; the sound th is a much quieter sound, maybe suggesting a need to be quieter?

Teleporno is an odd name to me as it sounds Latin. Funnily enough while I was looking up Thingol I came eventually to the name Incanus for Gandalf which Tolkien had thought was maybe a bit too Latin (but which happily suggests incantation, a thing you imagine wizards engaging in...). Isn't tele Latin for 'vision' or 'sight'?

03-10-2007, 04:44 AM	#6
Lalwendë A Mere Boggart Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: under the bed Posts: 4,737	Squatter - a bit of mere coincidence is no matter, I'm intending this to be fun. I was thinking partly about the fascinating speculation we had on the Chapter by Chapter threads; they gave me a lot of new ideas to ponder on, and we had some brief forays into words there. What do you reckon to a bit of fun with words? Liking the reactions to the word thing! Especially the Tolkien Thing! I suppose it's a name which gets my attention due to the place-name Thingwall, a place where I have relatives - it's quite a spiky word I suppose, but I have always preferred the sound of Germanic words to Latin ones. Thingol being a more 'modern' variant of Singollo is interesting, suggesting a change in the actual way that the elves spoke - just make the sounds th and s and see the difference; the sound th is a much quieter sound, maybe suggesting a need to be quieter? Teleporno is an odd name to me as it sounds Latin. Funnily enough while I was looking up Thingol I came eventually to the name Incanus for Gandalf which Tolkien had thought was maybe a bit too Latin (but which happily suggests incantation, a thing you imagine wizards engaging in...). Isn't tele Latin for 'vision' or 'sight'? __________________ Gordon's alive!