Dear Cécile
Tolkien is evidently attempting to create a distinct style for his
character Faramir.
But surely this by itself does not necessarily mean the construction
is/was "used in British English".
All it means it was "used by Tolkien".
Anthony Burgess invented the word 'rhotacismus' in a novel (Earthly
Powers, I think) and proudly reported its inclusion in the OED in his
subsequent newspaper review of OED. This does not mean that
'rhotacismus' is/was "used in British English".
Many creative writers may invent/adopt styles and usages that are not
necessarily the norm in their real-life speech communities.
Best
Ramesh
Cécile Yousfi wrote:
> Good evening everyone,
>
> Apparently, IF + WOULD is also used in British English. I've just come
> across the following sentence in Tolkien's _The Lord of the Rings_
> (Book 6 Chapter 5: /The Steward and the King/). Here, one of the
> characters (Faramir) is talking to another one (Eowyn, the lady he's
> in love with) : "And here you will find me, walking and waiting, and
> also looking east. It would ease my care, if you would speak to me, or
> walk at whiles with me."
>
> Obviously here WOULD is both volitional and hypothetical, the
> proposition meaning "if you ever agreed to speak with me". I don't
> know if IF + WOULD can be accepted in formal academic writing, but
> Tolkien put it in the mouth of one of his heroes, a prince-like
> character. I hope this example can help you in your research, Parveen.
>
> Cécile Yousfi, Docteur en Linguistique Anglaise
> Paris IV-Sorbonne
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