Author(s): Wu Linman

Abstract: J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings, made his unique concept of language as the cornerstone of his academic thought and literary creation. He created an immortal epic legend, brought readers a sense of reality and created an awesome mythological system for Britain. However, he was often criticized for his lack of academic contributions. Combining the development and reasons of linguistics in the 20th century, this paper discusses Tolkien’s linguistic aesthetics, making a brief analysis of their academic significance, and demonstrates Tolkien’s efforts to save philology under the backdrop of structuralism.

Keywords: J. R. R. Tolkien; linguistic aesthetics; historical and comparative linguistics; philology; structural linguistics

Article Info: Received: 10 May 2024; Received in revised form: 16 Jun 2024; Accepted: 25 Jun 2024; Available online: 04 Jul, 2024

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.94.1