Tolkien’s Elvish

Burgess’s NadsatArtificial Languages

Eáránë Culnámo

Gilraen Helyanwëhttp://www.chriswetherell.com/elf/

Artifical Language• An artifical language is created by the conscious

formualtion of its phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary, rather than by evolving naturally.

• Why create a language?- To assist communication

- Linguistic experimentation

- As a game between a group of people

- To bring a fictional world to life.

Elvish vs. Nadsat Tolkien’s Elvish has a complete phonological and grammatical system.

Burgess’s Nadsat concentrates solely on vocabulary.

This allows them to accomplish different things in their fictional worlds. Tolkien is able to establish a complete Elvish culture in his books, while Burgess is able to incorporate his language in a way that is accessible to readers.

J.R.R TolkienJ.R.R Tolkien• "I was from early days grieved by the

poverty of my own beloved country: it had no stories of its own, not of the quality that I sought, and found in legends of other lands. There was Greek, and Celtic, and Romance, Germanic, Scandinavian, and Finnish, but nothing English, save impoverished chapbook stuff."

• Language embodies culture, which Tolkien was trying to create.

The Tengwar

• The Quenya alphabet.• These letters indicate

only consonants.• Vowels are shown with

marks made above the preceding consonant.

• If there is no preceding consonant, the mark is made above a carrier.

Ai! laurië lantar lassi súrinen,yéni únótimë ve rámar aldaronYéni ve lintë yuldar avániermi oromardi lissë-miruvórevaAndúnë pella, Vardo tellumarnu luini yassen tintilar i elenómaryo airetári-lírinen.Sí man i yulma nin enquantuva?An sí Tintallë Varda Oiolossëove fanyar máryat Elentári ortanëar ilyë tier undulávë lumbulëar sindanóriello caita morniëi falmalinnar imbë met,ar hísië untúpa Calaciryo míri oialë.Sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa,

Valimar!Namárië! Nai hiruvalyë Valimar!Nai elyë hiruva! Namárië!

Namárië (Farewell)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6de_SbVUVfA

Making Words PluralAi! laurië lantar lassi

súrinenAh! like gold fall the

leaves in the wind

Words are made plural by adding “r” or “i” “i” is used after a consonant or in place of a final “e”

Lanta = to fallLasse = leaf

Verb Tenses

Sí man i yulma nin enquantuva?Who now shall refill the cup for me?

Present Tense: subject pronoun suffix added. No suffix is used for 3rd person singular.

Ex: enquanta = He refills.

Perfect past: -nie suffix.

Ex: enquantanie = He has refilled.

Imperfect past: -ne suffix

Ex: enquantane = He refilled.

Future Tense= -uva suffix

Ex. enqantuva = He shall refill.

Word Formation

ar hísië untúpa Calaciryo míri oialë.and mist covers the jewels of Calacirya for ever.

Quenya has numerous prefixes and suffixes to modify words, and thus create new words.

The suffix for intensifying a word is – (a)le. Oia = always. Oialë = forever. The suffix for diminshing words is – lle. Oialle = almost always; sometimes. Other prefixes and suffixes can change the

meaning of words or their parts of speech.

Syntax

ar ilyë tier undulávë lumbulëand all paths are drowned deep in shadow

ar =andilya = alltie = pathundulave = drownlumbe = shadow

Syntax

Sí man i yulma nin enquantuva?Who now shall refill the cup for me? Now who the cup for me shall refill?

Sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa, Valimar!Now lost, lost to those of the East is

Valimar!Now lost to, those of the east lost, Valimar!

Integrate Elvish into Your Lifestyle

(We’re not kidding)

A Few Elven Insults

1. Much wind pours from your mouth.

Antolle ulua sulrim/ αntolə uluə sulrim/

Elven Insults

2. You are king in your imagination.Lle naa haran e’ nausalle/lə nα hαrαn ε nαhusαlə/

3. You smell like a human.Lle holma ve’ edan/lə holmα vε edαn/

And now… something slightly less nerdy (but not by much)…

NADSATcreated by Anthony Burgess for the novel

A Clockwork Orange

“nadsat” means “-teen” in RussianLanguage of the Teenagers!

Burgess=Burgeoning Genius

• A Clockwork Orange written in 1962

• Adapted into film by Stanley Kubrick

• Teenagers rule the world?

• Sex, violence… and SLANG!

NadsatNadsat• “Teen vocabulary of the future”• Capturing the vernacular of a sub-culture• 250+ words• Folk etymology?• Influences

– Russian– Cockney rhyming slang!– English

•Associations•Amputations•Combinations

Comprehensible…

“You could viddy that poor old Dim the dim didn’t quite pony all that, but he said nothing for fear

of being called gloopy and a domeless wonderboy.”

Russian InfluencesBurgess uses Russian loanwords

ingeniously transformed or analogized • “Biblio”: biblioteka, library• “Gulliver”: golova, head• “Horrorshow”: khorosho, good or well• “Millicents”: militsia, militia or police• “Rozz”: rozha means grimace; Alex uses it to

mean police• “Neezhnies”: neezhny means lower; Alex

uses it to mean underpants

Other InfluencesCockney rhyming slang“hound-and-horny”: corny

Associations“cancer”:

cigaretteTransformations“appy polly loggy”: apology

Amputations“sarky”: sarcastic“sinny”: cinema

Combinationschatter + mumble = “chumble”mouth + munch = “mounch”

Words You Might’ve Guessed

• Em=Mom

• Fagged=Tired

• Guff=Laugh

• Horn=To Cry Out

• In-out-in-out=Sex

• Pee=Father

• Prod=To produce

• Sarky=Sarcastic

• Snuff It=To Die

• Warble=Song

Language as Identity

• What does it mean that Burgess gives his violent, teenage protagonist his own language, which is only spoken among his other violent, teenage friends?

• How does slang improve/deteriorate a language?

Deciphering from Context…Deciphering from Context…

“And then in the afterlunch I might perhaps, if I still felt like it, itty off to the old skolliwoll and see what was vareeting in that great seat of gloopy useless learning” (35).

Farewell…

My heart shall weep until it sees thee again

Cormamin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au’

May the leaves of your life tree never turn brown

Aa' lasser en lle coia orn n' omenta gurtha