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dreamingfifi
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|  | How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Characters
« Thread Started on Nov 13, 2006, 12:54am » | |
How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Characters
Discuss this essay here!
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Bestathanc ir nin tyngig an ndôr sîdh.
We shall be wedded when you bring me to a land of peace. -Nimrodel |
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Estel Dunadan
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| | Re: How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Charact
« Reply #1 on Feb 22, 2007, 9:54am » | |
In your explaination of where to use "thou" etc., you said to read the Bible for more examples. It has to be the King James Version or another Old-English translation. I use the New International Version, and there isn't a "thou", or other old pronoun, anywhere!
Yes, I know that a lot of people don't accept any other version than KJV, but for those who have no objection to recent translations, I think the version ought to be stated.
P.S. When I finish your course, will I be able to translate the Bible? That's part of what I want to do.
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dreamingfifi
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| | Re: How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Charact
« Reply #2 on Feb 22, 2007, 3:55pm » | |
Quote:| In your explaination of where to use "thou" etc., you said to read the Bible for more examples. It has to be the King James Version or another Old-English translation. I use the New International Version, and there isn't a "thou", or other old pronoun, anywhere! |
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There are a few good examples of using it in Shakespeare's work, though at the time, its use was already starting to wain.
Quote:| P.S. When I finish your course, will I be able to translate the Bible? That's part of what I want to do. |
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You might be able too. It's very difficult, and you would have to do quite a lot of reconstruction. You might want to practice a few years before attempting it, and try is with a group of friends who know and understand the bible from cover to cover, and some who know Sindarin very well. A project like this shouldn't be left to one person. Or, you could join the effort that's already happening. They're translating the Bible into Quenya too.
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Bestathanc ir nin tyngig an ndôr sîdh.
We shall be wedded when you bring me to a land of peace. -Nimrodel |
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Estel Dunadan
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| | Re: How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Charact
« Reply #3 on Apr 11, 2007, 2:05am » | |
I'll definitely practice for a long time, though that may include first-attempt translations. Join an existing effort... you mean there is one? Where where where? At the least, I'd like to read what they've done, if possible, to improve my knowledge of Sindarin - I've been doing that a little with the Quenya texts on Ardalambion. I do understand the Bible somewhat; for my whole eighteen years, I have studied the Bible as the basis for all we do and are, but I'm not a Bible scholar.
I know from missionaries that translation, especially of such a big, important Book, is never done alone - generally native speakers contribute greatly, but unfortunately there is a distict shortage of native Sindarin or Quenya speakers around here. 
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dreamingfifi
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estel
Nessa
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| | Re: How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Charact
« Reply #5 on Jun 7, 2007, 11:47am » | |
I was just reading the essay again, and remembered some really excellent fanfic I read, but Elessar farewelled Faramir with "May the winds of Manwe and the waters of Ulmo speed you." (Faramir was travelling far by ship.) Do you believe this to be irreverent?
Here's the site: http://www.board77.net/viewtopic.php?t=4287
Ehh, it's rather long; the excerpt is from the third page, from a post currently about two-thirds of the way down.
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ederchil
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| | Re: How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Charact
« Reply #6 on Jun 11, 2007, 11:08am » | |
Well, Damrod (or Mablung) cries "May the Valar turn him aside" after seeing a mumâk. Men are more into calling the Valar than Elves (elbereth excluded); especially Gondorians who lived in the past rather than the present would bring them up for anything.
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estel
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| | Re: How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Charact
« Reply #7 on Jun 18, 2007, 10:49pm » | |
I thought of that. I also thought that since Aragorn was brought up by Elves, it might apply less.
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ederchil
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| | Re: How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Charact
« Reply #8 on Jun 19, 2007, 7:43am » | |
Still, it would be very unwise for a King fresh from the North to walk in uninvited and scrap all the rituals.
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estel
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| | Re: How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Charact
« Reply #9 on Jun 20, 2007, 1:08am » | |
The story is set in Fourth Age 10. Scrap the rituals? This isn't ritual, it's just custom.
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ederchil
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| | Re: How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Charact
« Reply #10 on Jun 20, 2007, 8:02am » | |
Still, I reckon it's possible. If they were númenórean customs, they probably existed in the North too, but we can't say because the society of Gondor is quite different to that of the Rangers.
To use the old fanfic-rule: It's not IMpossible, so...
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The Lauderdale
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| | Re: How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Charact
« Reply #11 on Apr 18, 2008, 12:36am » | |
Elbereth is a bit of a Mary figure in some ways, and I reckon that calling on the rest of the Valar is much like calling on saints as intercessors in the Catholic faith.
...as a quick FYI, the link to the essay is dead. This is the current URL: http://realelvish.tripod.com/middle-earthdialogue.php
It goes back to my essential irreverence as a Tolkien reader that I find the opening sample of "bad dialog" hilarious. It was modern, sure, and totally wrong for Tolkien's Elves, but very far from dull.
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erenil
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| | Re: How to Write Dialogue for Middle-earth Charact
« Reply #12 on Dec 15, 2008, 6:32pm » | |
One thing to note is that I believe that elves did use a much richer vocabulary among them (If one wouldn't use Sindarin for the sake of the reader), I say that especially for elves of Sildarin or Noldorin descent as I suppose Tolkien would want to make the Nandor elves being slightly less enlightened than the other elves and closer to noble men. I thought that as I was looking into the tale of Turin and it seemed that Tolkien wanted to make Turin's speech richer than the plainer speech that other men used.
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