Re: LOTR (in RP?) on the BBC

And Rosta scripsit:

> I had mixed feelings about Sean
> Bean as Boromir -- splendid casting, and speaking in his native
> non-RP accent, which is always good to hear -- but that then curiously
> suggests that Minas Tirth = Sheffield, and Gondor = West Yorkshire...
(protrudes front teeth, reverts to Iggerant American)  Gosh, I didn't
notice that...

If I had to defend it, I would point out that Boromir was said not
to be particularly Nuumenorian, genetically....  I understand that
there are Ozite families were some members speak Broad and others
Standard, and then families where some speak Cultivated and others
Standard (Nick Nicholas is speaking more and more Cultivated these
days, possibly as a counterweight to Americanization.)  We shall see
whether B.'s father and brother speak RP.

> On balance I think I prefer that accentwise parallels between Westron
> and English be played down.
IIRC the Hobbit accent is Gloustershire, probably a bit watered down,
except of course for Merry who is using his own accent too.

> I wonder what Rohan accents will be like...
Well, JRRT advised that they too be represented as speaking "the
best Minas Tirith", and points out that the King's mother was
from Gondor, and the Common Speech was actually the language of
his (birth) family.  Perhaps, he says, they should speak it more
slowly and sonorously.

The use of OE for Rohirric is actually a bit odd, since OE > ModE,
but Rohirric not > Westron.  German might have been nearer to
the mark (:-)): a related, not mutually intelligible, generally
more conservative language.

Shippey points out a number of rather odd features about the OE
used for Rohirric: it is in fact not standard Wessex OE, but reconstructed
Mercian.  In particular, the name "Mercia" is latinized < "Maerc",
the standard OE name for that part of the country: but Mercian itself
lacked this umlaut, and its speakers would have said they were
from the "Marc".

--
John Cowan           http://www.ccil.org/~cowan              cowan@ccil.org
Please leave your values        |       Check your assumptions.  In fact,
   at the front desk.           |          check your assumptions at the door.
     --sign in Paris hotel      |            --Miles Vorkosigan

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