Eorling Mead Hall Planning/Discussion Thread - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Formendacil · 01-03-2007, 06:07 PM

I'm with Folwren in not caring... but I'm with Celuien in disliking the word. And here's why:

In the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien used MODERN English for all of his peoples. The idiom and nomenclature of the Rohirrim and Dúnedain is certainly more archaic in phrasing and in vocabulary, but the entire nomenclature is readily understandable to a 20th century (or 21st) English-speaker with a decent vocabulary and/or basic dictionary.

At least... I fit that category, and found it so.

Tolkien's English throughout is modern. For the nobler cultures it harkens back in style to the Elizabethan, but it has modern spelling and modern usage. A word like "wench" therefore, would be used in an Elizabethan or modern usage, not a pre-Chaucerian usage (unless it was in Old English, and thus Rohirric). For the sake of following Tolkien's lead, I would be opposed to the usage of the word wench, personally.

But it's really just my opinion. I don't honestly care.

(A post for Náin should be up before this time tomorrow. Want to get a post in ere I go on retreat this weekend.)

01-03-2007, 06:07 PM	#11
Formendacil Dead Serious Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Perched on Thangorodrim's towers. Posts: 3,328	I'm with Folwren in not caring... but I'm with Celuien in disliking the word. And here's why: In the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien used MODERN English for all of his peoples. The idiom and nomenclature of the Rohirrim and Dúnedain is certainly more archaic in phrasing and in vocabulary, but the entire nomenclature is readily understandable to a 20th century (or 21st) English-speaker with a decent vocabulary and/or basic dictionary. At least... I fit that category, and found it so. Tolkien's English throughout is modern. For the nobler cultures it harkens back in style to the Elizabethan, but it has modern spelling and modern usage. A word like "wench" therefore, would be used in an Elizabethan or modern usage, not a pre-Chaucerian usage (unless it was in Old English, and thus Rohirric). For the sake of following Tolkien's lead, I would be opposed to the usage of the word wench, personally. But it's really just my opinion. I don't honestly care. (A post for Náin should be up before this time tomorrow. Want to get a post in ere I go on retreat this weekend.) __________________ I prefer history, true or feigned.