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[tree-language]

Word Play

lacuna

lexical gap

pseudoword

sniglet

neologism

protologism

portmanteau

blend word

mondegreen

nonce word

aureation

gostak

retronym

[tree-language]

desiderrière

a longing for the lost form of one's youthful behind. desiderium + derrière desiderium = an ardent longing, as for something lost. derriere = the buttocks; rump.

[tree-language]

Tolkien, Jung, and The Paradox of Language

Tolkien has claimed that the stories of Middle Earth were not invented by him, but rather inherited by him, told to him by the Elves, and he was merely recounting what existed independently in the Realms of Faerie. The problem, however, is the extent to which Tolkien borrowed from existing mythology and languages to build his world of Middle Earth. Even the name of the land itself comes from the Norse Midgard. By deriving character names from existing languages, such as Sauron, from the Anglo-Saxon root "searu", meaning "treachery", he has undermined the credibility of his argument that they exist independent of his role as creator. Perhaps he might claim that he has given them pseudonyms in order to translate their names into a form that we can understand, however given Tolkien's understanding about the power of words, and the magic in a name, this does not hold up. Since Tolkien has been so thoroughly studied and written about, as a man, scholar, author and visionary, I am sure this paradox has not been lost on many commentators. The reason I am compelled to give it attention here is that I am grappling with my own journey of words. Unlike Tolkien, I am not fluent in many languages, nor am I knowledgeable in the intricacies of syntax, phrasing, or the melodies of dialects. So when I began to develop my own mythic language, I soon abandoned the idea of basing my words on previously existing tongues, in favor of a more independent, individualistic and intuitive approach. I allowed the words to come to me through pure inspiration, and resisted any words which seemed to similar to existing ones I was familiar with. Of course, some of my words had already been established, and others may have unintentionally reflected my unconscious predilections, but the point was to free myself up, to be open to whatever bubbled from my subconscious and not to impose too much intentional derivation. When I first named the land of Terad Mir, I had taken the obvious path of using the Latin word "terra" for earth, but I later decided to switch it around, so that "mir" was the word for earth, and "terad" meant "horizon". I was able to construct it with the root word "ter" meaning "far" and "adh" meaning "separation". This gave the enhanced meaning of the horizon as the mythic separation between Earth and Sky. Now, having the word "mir" meaning "earth" still provided for an interesting dilemma, because it is such as simple, and therefore, common construct that already has many meanings. In English it could refer to a Russian Village, in German it means "me", in Romansch it means "wall", derived from the Latin "murus". I discovered that the Serbs, Croats and Slavs have inherited the word "mir" from Proto-Slavic, to mean "peace", but it also means "world". So even in switching the words, I still ended up unintentionally reflecting existing patterns of human language. In further research, I learned about the Merriam people, from Murray Island off the northern tip of Australia. For them the word "mir" means "word" or "language", and they call their island "Mer". Interestingly, I had originally been drawn to the French word "mer" meaning "ocean", derived from the Latin "mere", from which we also get "mermaid". I decided to use the word "mer" for the goddess, and the feminine principle of nature. I must have overlooked the obvious fact that "mere" also means "mother" in Old French, derived from the Latin "mater". Furthermore, I couldn't resist using the word "mar" for the sea, which is clearly similar to the Latin "mare" which is still used in Italian for the sea. Middle and Old French use word "mare" to mean "lake", "sea" or "pool", derived from the Proto-Germanic word "mari", and the Proto-Indo-European "mori", meaning "marsh". There is also the High German "meri" for "lake" or "sea", which has become "meer" in German, and "mere" in Old English means "pond" or "pool", still used today. Interestingly, Venetion and Catalan use the word "mare" for "mother", deriving it from the Latin "mater". In English the word "mare" refers to a female horse, from the Old Norse "merr". In Old English "mare" means "evil spirit", which gives us "nightmare", from Proto-Germanic "maron", and the Proto-Indo-European "mor" meaning "feminine evil spirit". This is reflected in the names of Morgana (Morgan le Fey), the sorceress of Arthurian legend, and Morrígain, the Old Irish elf queen. Tolkien's use of the Old English word "morthor", meaning "murder" in naming Mordor. There is also the Danish use of "mare" to mean "succubus" or "incubus" from the Old Norse "mara". In Maltese, "mara" means "woman" derived from the Phoenecian "imara", and it can also mean "rodent", "rabbit", "danger", "hand" or "finger" in various languages. Clearly I have entered into a tangled web of interrelated etymology that can be difficult to navigate for a novice such as myself. Even someone so well-versed in languages as Tolkien could not resolve the contradictory nature of words. Ironically, the diversity of languages that are disappearing from the world at such a rapid rate, that Tolkien's own invented languages stand a better chance of being preserved that those of living peoples. So what is my aim in pursuing this treacherous passtime? Do I hope to somehow improve on what others have done before me? Am I merely adding one more unnecessary dictionary of invented words to the list? The only honest answer that I can give is that I am compelled by some unknown inner force within me which demands expression. In this respect I am in good company, for both Tolkien and Jung have claimed a similar defense for their obsessions. Thus I humbly commit to the unenviable task of laboring in the shadows of giants, without much hope that my effort are of any use other than some sort of personal exorcism. Along the way I have discovered some interesting themes that were latent and only beginning to emerge in the writings of Jung and Tolkien, and this is the idea of the persecuted feminine principle. As we have discovered with the root word of "mare", which led us from "mother" to "evil spirit", the demonizing women is entrenched in our language, going back many generations, through many cultures around the world. Jung sought to give a more nuanced view of the shadow side of the feminine through his development of the idea of the "anima", from Eve, to Helen, to Mary, to Sophia. Tolkien attemped to elevate the roles of women as the equals to their male counterparts, such as Luthien was to Beren, or to a lesser extent as Arwen was to Aragorn. Galadriel is co-ruler of Lothlorien with her husband Celeborn, and she seems to have a more significant role in the story. Tolkien also made Eowyn into a brave warrior woman, reminiscent of the Amazons from Greek mythology. Ultimately, however, both Jung Tolkien were both raised in a patriarchal system, and immersed in a world dominated by men and saturated with male thinking. In spite of their attempts to find a more nuanced perspective, it is clear from their lives and their writings that the male perspective dominates. What is interesting to me is that the entire ethos of my story of the Far Lands was built on the idea of the goddess being overwhelmed by a male conqueror, and the interrelation between language, and the written word in particular, with patriarchy. This was reinforced after I read "The Alphabet and the Goddess" by Leonard Shlain. There is no doubt that a goddess revival movement is now in full swing, having lurched forward during the sixities, along with the embrace of Wicca and New Age theology, a revival of interest in Lilith and the lost books of the Bible, as well as the role of Mary Magdelene. This seems to have culminated in the more recent popularity of "The Da Vinci Code" which completed the mythologizing of a new perspective on the feminine principle. I do not feel that I have anything of substance to add to this movement, however I am compelled to participate, driven by my personal experiences of having strong and loving relationships with my mother, wife, and sisters. I also have an intuitive sense that my own feminine self, my anima, could do with some harmonizing, being faced with the conflicts of my masculine urges, and finding myself still embedded in a male dominated society that continues to objectify women and relegate them to the dual roles of virgin or harlot. I wish to unify my own soul, and therefore must continue on this journey of self revelation and unification.

[tree-language]

[tree-language]

[tree-language]

How trees secretly talk to each other - BBC News