The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Emerged after the foundation of Bree (date uncertain, but not later than c. III 1300)
Location
Bree and the surrounding Bree-land, east of the Shire
Origins
A local dialect of the Westron or Common Tongue
Races
Culture
Settlements
Bree itself, and presumably also the related villages of Archet, Combe and Staddle
Pronunciation
Bree is pronounced 'br'ee'
Meaning
Bree means 'hill'

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About this entry:

  • Updated 11 September 2014
  • This entry is complete

Bree-dialect

The Common Speech as used in Bree

A version of the Westron or Common Tongue as it was spoken in the village of Bree and its surroundings. We have little detail about the Bree-dialect, apart from the mere fact of its existence and that its words for 'history' and 'geography' were not in common use. (Indeed, it's not entirely clear how literally to take even this fact, which seems intended as more of a comment on the parochial habits of the Bree-landers than a linguistic detail).

The calendar of Bree shows that its people retained a handful of ancient words that were apparently unique to them, such as the month names Frery, Chithing or Mede. These seem to have their origins in the ancestral tongues of the Northmen, dating back to the time when the Hobbits lived in the northern Vales of Anduin. Bree was built at the crossing of two major roadways, and had always been a place well visited by travellers, so we might speculate that the Bree-dialect would have been open to influence by alien words from travellers passing through the township, but we lack sufficient detail to be sure even of this.


Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 11 September 2014
  • This entry is complete

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