Today is Tolkien Reading Day 📚 If you want to read more about it, click here 👉 Tolkien Reading Day Most people have at least heard of J. R. R. Tolkien — the writer behind The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien Reading Day is held every year on 25 March, a date chosen by the Tolkien Society because it marks the fall of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. The Society has organized it since 2003. Tolkien was not only a famous author. He was also an English linguist and university professor. His books became some of the best-known fantasy works ever written. The Lord of the Rings had already sold more than 50 million copies in around 30 languages by the turn of the 21st century, and Tolkien’s wider sales are often reported as far higher. Then came the films. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was a huge global success, taking in about $2.96 billion worldwide, and the trilogy won 17 Academy Awards in total. The Return of the King alone won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. But here is the really interesting part. Tolkien did not just write stories. He was deeply interested in language itself. In fact, he famously said that the stories grew out of his languages. He created whole language systems for Middle-earth, and one of his Elvish languages, Sindarin, was strongly influenced by Welsh. Why Welsh? Because Welsh has grammar that feels quite different from English. For example, the first letter of a word can change depending on the grammar around it. Word order can also be different, and grammar patterns often shape the form of the word itself. That is one reason Tolkien’s Elvish feels rich, beautiful, and also quite difficult. It is not just a list of invented words. It is built more like a real language system. So that brings us to an interesting grammar question. Some grammars are often considered simpler than others. For example: Mandarin Chinese No verb conjugations, no grammatical gender, and no plural endings on nouns in the way many European languages use them. Indonesian / Malay Very little verb change, no grammatical gender, and a highly regular structure. English Compared with many languages, English grammar is often considered relatively light on endings and inflections. But is it really easier than your own language? Poll If you were a complete beginner starting from zero, which grammar would be easier to learn? Show your opinion in our poll below👇 #Tolkien #Grammar #LearnEnglish