TCG Letter #1612

It is an interesting position taken by Tolkien who would soon struggle to produce the glossaries of the Clarendon Chaucer arguing that he needed more room or would else miss out vital details, yet here a short time before says that the trouble "then falls on the “glossarist”, who spends endless time (and space) recording forms that could be eliminated and still leave the printed text perfectly Middle English (and intelligible to the scribes and editors if resuscitated)". This position appears to be entirely against what Tolkien would argue throughout his working life.

Though do note that Hammond/Scull point to the text of Sir Gawain, of which Tolkien reverses his position in August that year and does not support the normalization of that text.