Post by Eohdrithen on Oct 6, 2006 16:58:04 GMT
The Hobbits in Shire and Bree had for at least a thousand years accepted the common Westron. They spoke it in their own way, free and careless, although the more educated among them could talk a in more formal language when the situation demanded.
There is no kept documentation about the origin Hobbit language.
Since the oldest times it seems as if they used the tongue spoken by their closest human neighbours.
They changed quickly to Westron as they immigrated to Eriador, and it was at the time of the colonisation of Bree that the people had already begun to forget their own old language. This was probably a human language from northern Anduin, in relation with Rohirrim, but it seems as if the southern Stoors took up a language that was related to the Dunedain language before they wandered north to Shire. The southern Stoors of Anduin, that returned to the Wildcountry had already taken up Westron, but Déagol and Sméagol are names that belongs to a human language.
Of these things, in Frodo's time, some traces were still found in local words and names, many look like the ones found in Rohan or in Dale. Most notable are the names for days, months and seasons, and several terms of the same sort are also still in use, but more were preserved among the names of the places.
Even the Hobbits personal names were special, and several of them have very old ancestry.
Hobbit was the word they used to describe them selves.
The humans called them Halfings.
The Elves called them Periannath The origin to the word hobbit was forgotten for the most people.
It seems as if it is the Fallohides and the Stoors who gave that name to the Hobbits, perhaps it is an old word for hole-builder.
There is no kept documentation about the origin Hobbit language.
Since the oldest times it seems as if they used the tongue spoken by their closest human neighbours.
They changed quickly to Westron as they immigrated to Eriador, and it was at the time of the colonisation of Bree that the people had already begun to forget their own old language. This was probably a human language from northern Anduin, in relation with Rohirrim, but it seems as if the southern Stoors took up a language that was related to the Dunedain language before they wandered north to Shire. The southern Stoors of Anduin, that returned to the Wildcountry had already taken up Westron, but Déagol and Sméagol are names that belongs to a human language.
Of these things, in Frodo's time, some traces were still found in local words and names, many look like the ones found in Rohan or in Dale. Most notable are the names for days, months and seasons, and several terms of the same sort are also still in use, but more were preserved among the names of the places.
Even the Hobbits personal names were special, and several of them have very old ancestry.
Hobbit was the word they used to describe them selves.
The humans called them Halfings.
The Elves called them Periannath The origin to the word hobbit was forgotten for the most people.
It seems as if it is the Fallohides and the Stoors who gave that name to the Hobbits, perhaps it is an old word for hole-builder.