David Salo
David I. Salo | |
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David Salo giving a speech in Bloomington, Illinois, April 30, 2005 | |
Nationality | American |
Education | University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Occupation | Linguist |
David Salo is an American linguist who worked on the languages of J. R. R. Tolkien for the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies, expanding the languages (particularly Sindarin) by building on vocabulary already known from published works, and defining some languages that previously had a very small published vocabulary.[1][2][3]
Salo on Tolkien's languages
Enthusiast
Salo's interest in Tolkien's languages arose when he read Tolkien's works as a boy. As an undergraduate at Macalester College, Minnesota he studied Latin, Greek, and linguistics, and used the knowledge gained to improve his understanding of Tolkien's languages.[4] In 1998 he was among the founders of the Elfling mailing list for Tolkienist language enthusiasts.[5] He graduated in linguistics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 2004 he published a linguistic analysis of Sindarin: A Gateway to Sindarin: A Grammar of an Elvish language from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. This book was reviewed in 2006 in volume 3 of the journal Tolkien Studies,[6] and it was further reviewed in the context of Tolkienian linguistics as a whole in volume 4 of Tolkien Studies (2007).[7]
Consultant
In 2003, when still a graduate student in linguistics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Salo was contracted for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy to write all the material in Elvish (particularly Sindarin), Khuzdul (Dwarvish) and other languages for the films, as well as to assist with other language-related items such as the Tengwar and Cirth inscriptions which appear in the films. Salo also translated the lyrics for the films' soundtracks: many of these are sung in Sindarin in Howard Shore's long and innovative music score for the film series.[2][1] Subsequently, Salo provided similar services as the Tolkien language consultant for The Hobbit film trilogy.[3]
He provided assistance with Khuzdul for the 2023 video game The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria.[8]
Works
Bibliography
- 2004: A Gateway to Sindarin: A Grammar of an Elvish language from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (ISBN 0-87480-800-6)
Consultant
- The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001-2003)
- The Hobbit film trilogy (2012-2014)
- The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria (2023)
References
- ^ a b Smith, Susan Lampert (2003-01-19). "Linguist Is A Specialist In Elvish, The Uw Grad Student Provides Translations For Lord Of The Rings Movies". Wisconsin State Journal. William K. Johnston. p. C1. ISSN 0749-405X. Archived from the original on 2004-12-05. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ a b Wilonsky, Robert. "Talkin' Tolkien". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ a b "David Salo, Linguistic Consultant for The Hobbit, speaks at Geek Kon". TheOneRing.net. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
- ^ "Need an Elvish Translator? We've Got the Right Person for the Job" (PDF). Artes Liberales Today. 7 (1). College of Letters & Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison: 4. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 21, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
- ^ "Elfling FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) List". nellardo.com. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ Straubhaar, Sandra Ballif (2006). "Gateway to Sindarin (review)". Tolkien Studies. 3. West Virginia University Press: 166–173. doi:10.1353/tks.2006.0033. ISSN 1547-3155. S2CID 170888949.
- ^ Hostetter, Carl F. (2007). "Tolkienian Linguistics: The First Fifty Years". Tolkien Studies. 4. West Virginia University Press: 1–46. doi:10.1353/tks.2007.0022. S2CID 170601512.
- ^ Brian Crecente (2022-10-25). "Digging into The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria development". Epic Games. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
External links
- Interview with David Salo
- Salo's former Midgardsmal language blog
- v
- t
- e
and songs
- Songs for the Philologists (1936)
- The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son (1953)
- "A Walking Song" (1954)
- The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (1962)
- "Errantry"
- "Fastitocalon"
- "The Sea-Bell"
- "The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late"
- The Road Goes Ever On (1967)
- Bilbo's Last Song (1974)
- List of Tolkien's alliterative verse
- The Hobbit (1937)
- "Leaf by Niggle" (1947)
- The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun (1945)
- Farmer Giles of Ham (1949)
- The Lord of the Rings:
- The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)
- The Two Towers (1954)
- The Return of the King (1955)
- Tree and Leaf (1964)
- The Tolkien Reader (1966)
- Smith of Wootton Major (1967)
fiction
- The Father Christmas Letters (1976)
- The Silmarillion (1977)
- Unfinished Tales (1980)
- Mr. Bliss (1982)
- The History of Middle-earth (1983–1996)
- Roverandom (1998)
- The Children of Húrin (2007)
- The History of The Hobbit (2007)
- The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún (2009)
- The Fall of Arthur (2013)
- The Story of Kullervo (2015)
- Beren and Lúthien (2017)
- The Fall of Gondolin (2018)
- The Nature of Middle-earth (2021)
- The Fall of Númenor (2022)
works
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Middle English text, 1925)
- "The Devil's Coach Horses" (1925)
- "Ancrene Wisse and Hali Meiðhad" (1929)
- "Sigelwara Land" (1932–34)
- "Chaucer as a Philologist: The Reeve's Tale" (1934)
- "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics" (1936)
- "On Fairy-Stories" (1939)
- "On Translating Beowulf" (1940)
- Sir Orfeo (1944)
- Ancrene Wisse (1962)
- "English and Welsh" (1963)
- Jerusalem Bible (as translator and lexicographer, 1966)
academic
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo (translations, 1975)
- Exodus (1981)
- Finn and Hengest (1982)
- The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays (1983)
- Beowulf and the Critics (2002)
- Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary with "Sellic Spell" (2014)
- A Secret Vice (2016)
Writers |
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Christian | |
Literary critics |
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Linguists | |
Medievalists |
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- A Tolkien Compass
- Family
- Influences
- Artwork
- J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator
- Languages constructed by Tolkien
- The Inklings
- The Keys of Middle-earth
- Mythlore
- Mythopoeic Society
- Picturing Tolkien
- Tolkien and the Classical World
- Tolkien's impact on fantasy
- Tolkien and the modernists
- Tolkien Estate
- Tolkien fandom
- The Tolkien Society
- Tolkien Studies
- Memorials
- Reception
- Tolkien research
- Works inspired by Tolkien
- J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography (1977, authorized biography)
- The J. R. R. Tolkien Companion and Guide
- J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia
- Master of Middle-Earth
- Perilous Realms
- Tolkien and the Great War
- The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien
- Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth
- Tolkien: A Cultural Phenomenon
- Tolkien, Race and Cultural History
- Tolkien's Art: 'A Mythology for England'
- Tolkien (biographical film)
- Poems and Songs of Middle Earth (album)
- Language and Human Nature
- The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary
- Understanding The Lord of the Rings