What is Language and Meaning

The fiction parts of the Fall of Gondolin are written in an old english style with words like “thereafter” (61), “wrought” (69) and “hence” (147). This language, mixed with the frequent, long vocabulary words makes The Fall of Gondolin sounds like a tale passed on from the middle ages as Tolkien intended. The language is also robustly descriptive. The best example of this comes before the battle in Gondolin where Tolkien details the colors of each house’s armor (75-77). This shows the depth of Tolkien’s world building and how meticulous he was while creating every detail of Middle-earth. This, combined with the previously mentioned vocabulary, creates a prose that is filled with long sentences and paragraphs. In contrast, Christopher’s sections are casual and informative and are there only to provide context and clarification. These sections are sparse and much shorter, relying on notes and references to make his point.