In my last post in the general linguistics section, I discussed ways in which Tolkien used the word limb, identifying 6 meanings. This is a quick note about how I intend to translate these concepts into my Conlang. The upshot is: limb is not a necessary word, and can be substituted by otherwise necessary words in all contexts.
Arms and Legs
Of the 6 meanings, the first three of them mean the arms and/or legs of a person, animal, or monster. Not all languages have a word that matches the general idea of limb. Some just say arms and legs, which is what even most English speakers say when speaking casually. And that’s what I am going to do for my Conlang. When I think the text is taking about “arms”, I’ll use maat ‘arm’, and kïsabe ‘leg’ when I think ‘leg’ is more appropriate. If it’s both, I can just translate mamat pïp kïgïsabe ‘arms and legs’. (Yes, that is reduplication to mark pluralization. Explanations to follow someday.)
Tree Limbs
Similarly, I see no reason to have a distinction between branch and limb for trees. So my Conlang will just use taagappin ‘branch’ for both. The only awkward point this will introduce is in the following sentence describing a tree in Lothlórien. The relevant parts are in bold.
Upon the south side of the lawn there stood the mightiest of all the trees; its great smooth bole gleamed like grey silk, and up it towered, until its first branches, far above, opened their huge limbs under shadowy clouds of leaves.
The Fellowship of the Ring, the Mirror of Galadriel
One set of “branches” is the subject of its clause, and a different set of branches is the object. Repetition of the same word might be a bit awkward, but with the adjectives and possessive pronouns involved (“its first branches” and “their huge limbs”), perhaps it is not so bad.
Limbs of Hills
The use of limb in connection with geography only appears once in the text. In context, it could easily be called a “slope” or “ridge”, or a “downward slipping ridge” with no real loss in meaning. Only the rhythm of the sentence would be lost, and those will probably be lost anyways under translation. I have not worked out a word for “ridge” or “slope”, so for now, I will just note that I don’t need to invent a specific word.
The Sun’s Limb
This scientific use of limb is quite unnecessary to translate. It is kind of odd that Tolkien chose to use it at all, this 17th century scientific nomenclature. Both edge and rim appear in the text, and either one would be a suitable replacement. I haven’t fully investigated these words yet, so the following is tentative. I think rim will be suippe ‘rim’. So, Tasaidï pusuil ‘the rim of the Sun’.
A Hobby for the Tome 