Tolkien Speaking Elvish

[Lalaith]

Davem, the audiobook you posted a link to, I think it might be very similar to a cd I got free with a boxed set of LotR I bought about four years ago.
(The boxed set, incidently, doesn't seem to be available any more but it is really lovely, there are seven hardback volumes, for each of the six books of the trilogy plus the appendices and index)

[symestreem]

Tolkien read it with the intonation of a Native American shaman telling the stories of his tribe to the children. Or a Maori chief, or an African one, or basically anyone besides an American or a Brit. He really believed in what he was doing.

[ninlaith]

The intonation of Tolkien in his Elvish speaking was very similar to that of the Kalevala which he had an obsession with for most of his life. It also sounds as if he may have been adding a little of old Anglo Saxon annunciation which connects to his deep affinity for the epic novel Beowulf and all Anglo Saxon literature for that matter. Sir Tolkien was purely a genius in more ways than one.

Sam: I made a promise, Mr. Frodo, a promise! Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee! And I don't mean to....I don't mean to.

[Guinevere]

Hooray, I have just bought the "Tolkien Audio Collecion " that Davem gave a link to. (Though not through Amazon - I found it even in my English bookstore in Zürich !!)
It really was worth the price - there are 4 CD's , 2 with Tolkien reading exerpts from the Hobbit and LotR . It's very funny the way Tolkien reads Gollum's part! One of my favourites was "the Ride of the Rohirrim". The only drawback is that Tolkien reads some of the poems too fast (for me). The 2 other CDs are Christopher Tolkien reading from the Silmarillion. I've listened to the whole tale of Luthien and Beren today and loved it! (BtW Did you know that the stress in "Finarfin" is on the -ar- ? that was news for me!))

[Mariska Greenleaf]

For some reason I never took the effort to read this thread, and now that I have, I'm very happy about it.

Some comments on how Tolkien's reading is not very magical I found a bit strange, because the Professor invented the language, so if anyone should know how it sounds, it would be him. I enjoyed hearing his voice very much, although I imagined it a bit differently.

BtW Did you know that the stress in "Finarfin" is on the -ar- ? that was news for me!))

Yes, for me too. I would always automatically pronounce it with the stress on the last -in.

Joy, I liked hearing your pronounciation too. I've never been interested myself in actually learning to speak Elvish, but I admire those who do and can. Respect!