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Fitting Sense to Sound: Linguistic Aesthetics and Phonosemantics in the Work of J.R.R. Tolkien

Fitting Sense to Sound: Linguistic Aesthetics and Phonosemantics in the Work of J.R.R. Tolkien ROSS SMITH I. Sound and Sense "Linguistic aesthetics" is a term which Tolkien employed on a number of occasions to refer to the fickle relationship among the sounds of words, their meaning, and our emotional responses to them. He explored this complex issue by means of his invented languages, where the fundamental question of the relationship between sound and meaning (phonosemantics) came into play, and also addressed it directly in some academic papers. Such was his interest in this subject that on one occasion he described himself as "a professional philologist particularly interested in linguistic aesthetics" (S xi) while on another he declared that his largest published work (excluding posthumous publications), The Lord of the Rings, was "largely an essay in linguistic aesthetic" (Letters 219). In his lectures and letters he made some effort to communicate exactly what he meant by this term and why it was of such importance to him, but he seemed to find it difficult to convey his notions and explain his enthusiasm in terms that were understandable to a wider audience. Indeed, Tolkien sometimes worried that his ideas on linguistic aesthetics and phonosemantics, which were intimately tied up with his passion for inventing http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Tolkien Studies West Virginia University Press

Fitting Sense to Sound: Linguistic Aesthetics and Phonosemantics in the Work of J.R.R. Tolkien

Tolkien Studies , Volume 3 (1) – May 9, 2006

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Publisher
West Virginia University Press
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 West Virginia University Press.
ISSN
1547-3163
Publisher site
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Abstract

ROSS SMITH I. Sound and Sense "Linguistic aesthetics" is a term which Tolkien employed on a number of occasions to refer to the fickle relationship among the sounds of words, their meaning, and our emotional responses to them. He explored this complex issue by means of his invented languages, where the fundamental question of the relationship between sound and meaning (phonosemantics) came into play, and also addressed it directly in some academic papers. Such was his interest in this subject that on one occasion he described himself as "a professional philologist particularly interested in linguistic aesthetics" (S xi) while on another he declared that his largest published work (excluding posthumous publications), The Lord of the Rings, was "largely an essay in linguistic aesthetic" (Letters 219). In his lectures and letters he made some effort to communicate exactly what he meant by this term and why it was of such importance to him, but he seemed to find it difficult to convey his notions and explain his enthusiasm in terms that were understandable to a wider audience. Indeed, Tolkien sometimes worried that his ideas on linguistic aesthetics and phonosemantics, which were intimately tied up with his passion for inventing

Journal

Tolkien StudiesWest Virginia University Press

Published: May 9, 2006

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