And for those not in the know: Elvish is Welsh and Dwarvish is Irish. That's a great piece of trivia for you if you run low on conversation.
Those older than me were acquainted with the Tolkiens at Oxford (He taught at Merton College). His sons were the age of some of my teachers--one of whom was well acquainted with the family. The usual story is that during the 60s people would come looking for the man and leave disappointed that he wasn't an old hippie, but was a tweedy Oxford Don.
I have to admit an interest in medieval languages passed on from a teacher who was someone who studied under Tolkien, but went on to study something more "productive": PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics). That might help understand where I come by some of my opinions.
Note: I should add that there was another description of PPE from an Ivy League School, but I thought that would confuse people.
