The Sword of Shannara a rip off off LOTR?

I grant that elves and dwarves existed in literature before Tolkien. I mainly wanted to point out the creation of halflings and orcs.

Also, Tolkien was the origin of the plurals "elves" and "dwarves". I remember reading that the publisher kept changing the spellings to the common (at that time) spellings of "elfs" and "dwarfs".

 

Actually I think the term halfling existed before tolkien, IIRC.

Orcs on the other hand was a word of his creation for what are also known as "goblins", and "hobgoblins" (see the hobbit), as far as I know.

"Also, Tolkien was the origin of the plurals "elves" and "dwarves". I remember reading that the publisher kept changing the spellings to the common (at that time) spellings of "elfs" and "dwarfs"."

While ya it's true that his publisher kept on changing it. I'm not sure that tolkien was the creator of those spellings of the words. Tolkien was a famous linguist, and it's possible that he was using a more archaic spelling of the word from another language, rather than the common version known to the public at the time.

 

I remember he used the term goblins in the Hobbit though. I thought he used both referring to different races in LOTR, but I could be wrong.

 

Well he does use both in LOTR, where he uses traditional term and his term for the same creature. Similer thing is done with the elves, where fairy is also substituted. Gnome is also substituted for some races of elves as well.

My houghton mifflin copy of the hobbit has a special page in it(I point this out as some of the del rey releases I hear didn't print the page), in which the narrator explains how orcs are normally called goblins, and the bigger variety known as hobgoblins, in english, and how orc is a word that comes from hobbit's ancient languages.

It also talks about how in english dwarf and dwarfs are the only known spellings in the language, and how dwarve and dwarves refers mainly back to Thorin Oakenshield's people, and is explained why in LOTR III, page 415.

Other differences is Elephants in the hobbit are known as Oliphants in his other works.

 

Sorry to be Mr 'Wet Blanket', but I'm going to have to lock this, and re-direct you to either the Terry Brooks thread in A&A, or to The Amphitheatre where you can continue this discussion.