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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ColonelHardisson" data-source="post: 621259" data-attributes="member: 363">Since some may wonder about Lanwi's ability to speak well, I figured I'd explain why that is. I decided I'd try to emulate Tolkien's habit, which is exhibited more often in the appendices, Unfinished Tales, and the Silmarillion than in LotR, of having characters speak in a "heroic" or "epic" manner, even the ones that are supposedly not so brilliant. Boromir is good example of this, in some respects, since he is often thought to be less than concerned with "book learnin'" than with fighting. If I recall correctly, we actually get some dialogue from the Dead Men of Dunharrow, the style of which I try to use for Lanwi. Where that dialogue is, I don't recall offhand. I'll try to find it. Additionally, the style of speech Lanwi uses is a bit stiff and formal, which reflects that Westron is not his first language. If he has need to speak in his native tongue, he'll be more casual in his speech, to reflect his greater comfort with that language.Also, Tolkien seems to have three distinct "modes" of speech for characters in LotR: the "heroic" mode I already discussed, the more casual mode used by the Hobbits and the Men who live near them, and the harsher, more "gutteral" mode used by orcs.</blockquote>