#word nerd

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

Someone asked me to expand a little on a topic that was buried down in a big chain of reblogs, so I'm doing that here--it's about the use of the archaic "thee", "thou", "thy", etc. in LOTR and what it tells you about characters’ feelings for one another. (I am NOT an expert on this, so it's just what I've picked up over time!)

Like many (most?) modern English speakers, I grew up thinking of those old forms of 2nd person address as being extra formal. I think that's because my main exposure to them was in the Bible ("thou shall not...") and why wouldn't god, speaking as the ultimate authority, be using the most formal, official voice? But it turns out that for a huge chunk of the history of the English language, "thee," "thou," and "thy" were actually the informal/casual alternatives to the formal "you", “your”, “yours”. Like tú v. usted in Spanish!

With that in mind, Tolkien was very intentional about when he peppered in a "thee" or a "thou" in his dialogue. It only happens a handful of times. Most of those are when a jerk is trying to make clear that someone else is beneath them by treating them informally. Denethor "thou"s Gandalf when he’s pissed at him. The Witch King calls Éowyn "thee" to cut her down verbally before he cuts her down physically. And the Mouth of Sauron calls Aragorn and Gandalf "thou" as a way to show them that he has the upper hand. (Big oops by all 3 of these guys!)

The other times are the opposite--it's when someone starts to use the informal/casual form as a way to show their feeling of affection for someone else. Galadriel goes with the formal "you" all through the company's days in Lórien, but by the time they leave she has really taken them to heart. So when she sends them a message via Gandalf early in the Two Towers, she uses "thee" and "thou" in her words to Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli because now they're valued friends and allies. And--this is the big one, folks, that was already alluded to in my previous post--Éowyn starts aggressively "thou"ing Aragorn when she is begging him to take her along as he prepares to ride out of Dunharrow. She is very intentionally trying to communicate her feelings to him in her choice of pronoun--an "I wouldn't be calling you "thee" if I didn't love you" kind of thing. And he is just as intentionally using "you" in every single one of his responses in order to gently establish a boundary with her without having to state outright that he doesn't reciprocate her feelings. It's not until much later when her engagement to Faramir is announced that Aragorn finally busts out "I have wished thee joy ever since I first saw thee". Because now it is safe to acknowledge a relationship of closeness and familiarity with her without the risk that it will be misinterpreted. He absolutely wants to have that close, familiar relationship, but he saved it for when he knew she could accept it on his terms without getting hurt.

So, you know, like all things language-based...Tolkien made very purposeful decisions in his word choices down to a bonkers level of detail. I didn’t know about this pronoun thing until I was a whole ass adult, but that’s the joy of dealing with Tolkien. I still discover new things like this almost every time I re-read.

#lord of the rings #lotr #tolkien #aragorn #éowyn #word nerd #respect and disrespect by choice of pronoun #thee and thou vs you #aragorn found the absolute most passive way to say ‘not interested’

[alliterative-endlessknot]

The #ConnectedAtBirth #etymology of the week is SKI/SCIENCE/SHODDY #ski #science #shoddy

#ski #skiing #science #shoddy #etymology #wotd #connectedatbirth #words #language #linguistics #word nerd #wordnerd #history of the english language #history of english #historical linguistics #lingcomm #lingblr

[roseverdict]

girl help i went to watch a bunch of doctor who episodes for the purposes of getting down a good characterization of ten for fandom xover reasons and now my internal monologue and the way i process words i read are both british

i'm a born and raised usamerican midwesterner who's never had the chance to step outside the country

#rosie babbles #HELP #me 'hearing' myself: *gordon ramsey voice* WHERE ARE THE HARD R'S #word nerd #…kinda. it scratches that same itch in my brain in a weird way

[marlynnofmany]

Haha, etymology is great. I love looking up the origins of words. I just learned that “amen” comes from the Hebrew word for “truth, certainty.” So really the religious use of it comes down to 

#'righteous and holy my man' #maybe this isn't news for people who grew up with a religious background #but I find it hilarious #word nerd #etymology #and yes I'm procrastinating why do you ask?

[the-vintage-typist]

X

#vintage typewriters #old typewriters #typewriters #word nerd #vintage typewriter #typewriter #vintage #antiques #antique typewriter

[ahedderick]

I’m just walkin’

HOLY SHIT word-nerds! I just - - mind blown - - ok, here’s a Thing

The words plantigrade and digitigrade are not necessarily common knowledge, but “Walks on the heel like a human or a bear” and “Walks on the toes like a dog or cat” are at least somewhat known.

 I had never run into the word unguligrade until fairly recently, and thought it was a delightful addition to my favorite stash of scienc-y words.

Anyway, grade is the root word for walking. So. With that in mind. What is a tardigrade?

Jeez, little water bear, somebody looked at you and said, “Yeah that sure is a slow walker. Steppin’ slow. Will get there eventually.”

#word of the day #words words words #science #tardigrade #word nerd #etymology

[threewombatsinatrenchcoat]

Something for all my writers, language nerds, and ethnology peeps (in case you don't already know - I didn't), the online etymology dictionary:

https://www.etymonline.com/

#etymology #word nerd #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #language #linguistics

[homoqueerjewhobbit]

If you're using a dictionary-style thesaurus, you're a damned fool.

#Was gonna say you're being cucked but I decided to be pg on my wholesome reference book post #Roget #Roget's thesaurus #Writing #Reference #Thesaurus #Books #word nerd #post o' mine

[itsglor]

#language #linguistics #zeugma #etymology #word nerd

[alliterative-endlessknot]

The #ConnectedAtBirth #etymology of the week is WINTER/WHISKY #wotd #winter #whisky #whiskey

#winter #whisky #whiskey #etymology #wotd #connectedatbirth #words #language #linguistics #word nerd #wordnerd #history of the english language #history of english #historical linguistics #lingcomm #lingblr

[roseverdict]

either and neither

#rosie babbles #tumblr polls #word nerd #realizing my power as we speak

[pithia]

Whenever I encounter a word I've never had cause to use, I whisper it aloud, just to have said it in my lifetime.

—from Sever by Lauren DeStefano

#quotations #Lauren DeStefano #words #word nerd #whisper

[kaapstadmk]

Hey linguist Tumblr, got a question for you.

I've always been under the impression that -ck in English hardens the ending "k" sound, compared to just -k

(eg back, hack, peck, tick, sock, puck vs bak, hak, pek, tik, sok, or puk)

Would y'all agree?

#linguistics #English #spelling #word nerd

[writernotwaiting]

“Kripke wasn’t only a collector. She read dictionaries and compared them. She knew what her 20,000 volumes contained, and she loved sharing that with people who cared about what she knew. (Along with her apartment, she had at least two Manhattan warehouses, each with “more stuff in it than probably any slang collection anywhere else in the country,” said Tom Dalzell, co-editor of The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English.) She had a nose for finding obscure titles and dictionary memorabilia, like correspondence between two Merriam brothers about how to buy the rights to a dictionary from the estate of a guy named Webster. And she was a good businesswoman: Rare-book collectors would be interested in something and approach Sotheby’s, and “Madeline would have it before anyone knew it was there,” said Sheidlower. She especially loved slang wordbooks, and anything bawdy, including “Tijuana bibles,” collections of raunchy satirical cartoons. Her business card read “Madeline Kripke” and identified her as a book collector. On the back, it said, “Lexicunt.”“

Madeline Kripke passed away in March of 2020. Her collection will now be housed with the library at Indiana University. Let’s hope they digitize as much as possible!

#scholarship & research #dictionaries #slang #word nerd

[the-vintage-typist]

Hammond No.12

#vintage typewriters #typewriters #old typewriters #vintage typewriter #word nerd #hammond typewriter