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--- lb:opinion:on.neo-elvish [2025-08-24 06:46:06] – [On Neo-Elvish] ninjasr
+++ lb:opinion:on.neo-elvish [2026-02-13 17:33:31] (current) – [On Neo-Elvish] ninjasr
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 ====== On Neo-Elvish ======
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+{{tag>legendarium opinion}}
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 This opinion piece exists to put down my thoughts on the pursuit of the Neo-Elvish languages – mainly Quenya and Sindarin.\\
 I'm writing this because there are perspectives on Neo-Elvish that conflict and lead to what I'd call “stupid hate”.
 I may improve this article over time, gradually.
-{{tag>legendarium opinion}}
 ===== Tolkien's Aim =====
 Tolkien's aim with the elvish languages wasn't to create a ‘finished’ language that he could speak in with others (as is often the case with most conlangs) but to create languages that he thought were aesthetically pleasing. Though I'm not 100% convinced of this as the //sole// reason he made his languages – mostly because, logically, you wouldn't create //more than one// in that situation – but it //is// the main reason he made his languages.((:fn:>What else makes me second-guess this is that, based on what I know about Tolkien...he probably //did// want to learn to speak Quenya/Sindarin at some point. I say this just based on his own words. In //Elvish as She Is Wrote// written by Carl F. Hostetter, he shares contents of letters written by Tolkien. In them, Tolkien explains that he would have liked to write the entire //Lord of The Rings// in Elvish if he could. While he's no doubt exaggerating, I would actually argue that this indicates that Tolkien would have //liked// to speak/write in ‘Elvish’ himself. It's just as likely to me – considering Tolkien's perfectionism streak – that Tolkien didn't speak ‘Elvish’ because he didn't feel the need to...but because he never actually finished Elvish.))\\
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 The arguments in favor are based around the desire to speak these languages. The arguments against are that they'd go against Tolkien's vision.
-Carl F. Hostetter goes a step further and believes that Tolkien wouldn't like people's attempts to finish his languages for him. That's something I'm not sure about, as it seems a serious leap in logic.((:fn:>I also think it's a leap to suggest Tolkien didn't want to speak his own languages, which is something that Mr. Hostetter seems to sincerely believe. I don't know Tolkien as much, but I found it doubtful.))
+Carl F. Hostetter goes a step further and believes that Tolkien wouldn't like people's attempts to finish his languages for him. That's something I'm not sure about, as it seems a serious leap in logic.((:fn:>I also think it's a leap to suggest Tolkien didn't want to speak his own languages, which is something that Mr. Hostetter seems to sincerely believe. I don't know Tolkien as much, but I found it doubtful. Hostetter's argument seems to be based around the fact Tolkien constantly changed the languages. But this //also// applies to Tolkien's stories. So, does that mean that Tolkien had no inclination to finish //The Silmarillion// either? I think that Occam's Razor suggests that Tolkien //did// have the intent to speak Quenya/Sindarin and never did because he just didn't finish the languages due to his own perfectionism – just like //The Silmarillion//.))
 Moving on, I think that the conflict here is kinda dumb, because it should be obvious to onlookers that Tolkien's motivations for making the languages and the Neo-Elvish effort are two different things. Though I'm not sure I can articulate exactly what I mean right now.\\