“It was just as the 1914 War burst on me that I made the discovery that 'legends' depend on the language to which they belong; but a living language depends equally on the 'legends' which it conveys by tradition. … Volapuk, Esperanto, Ido, Novial, &c &c are dead, far deader than ancient unused languages, because their authors never invented any Esperanto legends…”

No. 180: To a Mr. Thompson (incomplete draft of a letter, 1956).
The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien (1981)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Sept. 27, 2023. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "It was just as the 1914 War burst on me that I made the discovery that 'legends' depend on the language to which they b…" by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien?
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien photo
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien 78
British philologist and author, creator of classic fantasy … 1892–1973

Related quotes

Joe Hill photo

“The language of sin was universal, the original Esperanto.”

Joe Hill (1879–1915) Swedish-American labor activist, songwriter, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World

Source: Horns

George Soros photo

“Esperanto was a very useful language, because wherever you went, you found someone to speak with.”

George Soros (1930) Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist

"How Do You Say ‘Billionaire’ in Esperanto?" in The New York Times (December 16, 2010) http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/how-do-you-say-billionaire-in-esperanto/

“C (it's not just a language, it's a grade)”

Jamie Zawinski (1968) American programmer

alt. religion. emacs http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.emacs/msg/991308e21103bb76

“Like legend and myth, magic fades when it is unused”

Charles de Lint (1951) author

hence all the old tales of elfin Kingdoms moving further and further away from our world, or that magical beings require our faith, our belief in their existence, to survive. … That is a lie. All they require is our recognition.
Goninan in Part One: The Hidden People, "Border Spirit" p. 337
The Little Country (1991)

Paulo Coelho photo
Dennis M. Ritchie photo

“[C has] the power of assembly language and the convenience of … assembly language.”

Dennis M. Ritchie (1941–2011) American computer scientist

Quoted in Cade Metz, "Dennis Ritchie: The Shoulders Steve Jobs Stood On", http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2011/10/thedennisritchieeffect/ Wired, 13 October 2011.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien photo

“My advice to all who have the time or inclination to concern themselves with the international language movement would be: 'Back Esperanto loyally.”

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892–1973) British philologist and author, creator of classic fantasy works

"A Philologist on Esperanto" in The British Esperantist (May 1932).
Years later, in a 1956 letter (quoted more extensively below) he stated that Esperanto and other constructed languages were "dead, far deader than ancient unused languages, because their authors never invented any Esperanto legends."

Michael Moorcock photo

“I now know that legends in themselves have no power. The power comes from the uses that the living make of the legend. The legends merely represent an ideal.”

Michael Moorcock (1939) English writer, editor, critic

Book 3, Chapter 2 “The Destruction in the Fortress” (p. 260)
The Elric Cycle, The Fortress of the Pearl (1989)

Larry Wall photo

“If you want to program in C, program in C. It's a nice language. I use it occasionally…”

Larry Wall (1954) American computer programmer and author, creator of Perl

[7577@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV, 1990]
Usenet postings, 1990

Jacques Derrida photo

Related topics