Posted: December 01, 1999 at 09:41:47: by Martin Read
: Tolkien divided human ME into linguistic areas: Old Norse -Vales of Anduin/Dale, Gothic - Rhovanion, Anglo-Saxon - Rohirrim, and (possibly) Celtic - Dunland. Keeping in mind Tolkien's analogies between the above-mentioned European languages and the Mannish tongues of ME, it may be stated that Adûnaic developed in the following manner: the language of Rhovanion was the most ancient form from which rose the languages of Vales of Anduin/Dale and Rohan. How Adûnaic evolved in Eriador, we cannot say for sure. Most likely its represented a further stage of linguistic evolution, similar to but different from any of the above (for convenience sake, let's compare it to Frisian). The question is, why would Bombadil, who rarely left his woodland realm, have a name in Rohirric when the men who had most contact with him (assuming that the Númenoreans would use the Elvish Iarwain ben-Adar) were the Dunlandings and their kin, the Breefolk, and the pre-SA 600 Eridorian Edain?But the Breefolk spoke Westron which was related to Adunaic and therefore to Rohirric. Is Bombadil an Anglo-Saxon form? I don't know anything of it's derivation. Or do you mean he had another name in Rohirric, and why would they know who he was?
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