Invented Language
[posted by Callimachus]
If you read Tolkien's non-fiction writing, or his biographical material, you start to understand that his original passion was languages, and that he was an elite in that select tribe of people who invent languages for a hobby. You could make a case that the entire "Lord of the Rings" saga came about because he had constructed an Elvish language and needed something to do with it.
There are still language inventors in the world. It's a delightful quirk, especially if they invent a tongue for a fictional or hypothetical people instead of trying to force one on the rest of us.
If you read Tolkien's non-fiction writing, or his biographical material, you start to understand that his original passion was languages, and that he was an elite in that select tribe of people who invent languages for a hobby. You could make a case that the entire "Lord of the Rings" saga came about because he had constructed an Elvish language and needed something to do with it.
There are still language inventors in the world. It's a delightful quirk, especially if they invent a tongue for a fictional or hypothetical people instead of trying to force one on the rest of us.
