J.R.R. Tolkien’s academic field at Oxford was philology.
Philology is the historical study of languages through texts, including their development, vocabulary, grammar, and relationships. Tolkien studied English language and literature at Oxford and became a specialist in Germanic languages, Old English, Middle English, and related linguistic traditions.
His academic work included the influential lecture and essay “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.” He also helped edit and translate texts such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This scholarship influenced the sound and history of his invented languages and the names, poems, and legends of Middle-earth.
Philology is sometimes reduced to simple language learning, but Tolkien’s field was broader and historical. He examined how languages changed and how literary texts preserved earlier forms. His creative writing and academic work were therefore closely connected, although Middle-earth remains a work of imagination rather than a reconstruction of an actual ancient culture.