Languages of Middle-earth

The languages of Middle-earth are artificial languages invented by J. R. R. Tolkien and used in his books about Middle-earth, including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Silmarillion. They are important as an inspiration for his imaginary world and as a method for giving a realistic linguistic depth to names and special words that is generally lacking in fantasy and science fiction stories.

Related Topics:
Artificial language - J. R. R. Tolkien - Middle-earth - The Hobbit - The Lord of the Rings - The Silmarillion - Linguistic - Fantasy - Science fiction

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In discussing the languages Tolkien invented, it is necessary to consider two aspects: their "primary world" history, namely their literal development by Tolkien as a linguist, and their "secondary world" history, namely their imagined historical development in the history of Middle-earth.

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