Unfinished Tales - Part Two - IV - The History of Galadriel and Celeborn

[Dilettante]

Originally Posted by Guinevere

I must admit that it took some effort to reread the whole chapter with notes and appendices!
Though there are many interesting details, it leaves me rather bewildered with all those contradicting versions. (Marnie must have studied this very closely when writing her Celeborn & Galadriel fanfiction "Oak & Willow". Her version of Celeborn will forever influence my view on him!!)

I was very interested in more details of the hauntingly sad song of Nimrodel and Amroth, but the story is frustratingly incomplete (how could they get "separated" on the way to the haven? Where does Mithrellas fit in??)

I don't know which version of the origin of the Elessar I prefer, but I just love the conception of its inspiration having been sunlight shining through leaves. (I'm thinking of newly sprung beech leaves in spring - such a gorgeous colour!)

That Tolkien spends a lot of time pondering over Elven tongues and dialects is typical. But something has always bothered me about his concept: how can languages develop and even become extinct when the speakers are immortal?

Well, among mortals, language is constantly in flux. I would assume that immortals are no different.

From what little I know of linguistics, it may go something like this. Immortal Population 1 (the Silvan Elves for example) lives in an area. Immortal Population 2 (e.g. the Sindar, Noldor, ect.) move into the area and begin to integrate with IP1. Over time one of IPs decides the other IPs language is either easier to communicate with, or they just plain prefer it. After a while, everyone is speaking the language of one of the IPs and no one bothers to learn or speak the other language anymore. (Actually, what probably develops is a hybrid of the two languages.)

However, as concerned as some Elves seem to be about preserving "Old Ways" (Much that once was is lost and all that) you would think that they would be concerned with preserving their original language and it would be very hard for their languages to become "extinct". It could be that the language did not become "extinct" in the classical sense, but was known only by a few individuals who bothered to still learn and use it.