: Come on, "American" does not necessarily equal "twangy"! If it's spoken properly, Tolkien's dialogue can sound just as elegant with an American accent as it would with a British accent. Shakespeare can be done with an American accent; why not Tolkien?

I personally don't like Shakespeare when it is done with American actors. There is a certain diction, a certain idiom that all writers create for their characters. In Tolkien's case, the diction and idiom really does smack of "received" English. By twang, I wasn't trying to insult the way Americans, myself included (though I was born in England), speak. However, it just does not fit the language of Tolkien. I can say lines out of the book to myself, and it just doesn't sound right. I for one will be bitterly disappointed if there are Americans, or even Aussies or New Zealand accents, portrayed in this film. The language is just made for a British, and even Irish, actors.

Most importantly, I think that is the way Tolkien himself envisioned it. And we have to remember, as he points out in the letter, that this isn't a real history. This is HIS book.