I guess the first thing we'd have to consider is what Faramir meant when he said that Sam was a "pert servant", so let's look at some definitions of pert.Voronwë_the_Faithful wrote:I'll turn the question around. Why would Tolkien have Faramir tell Sam what a "pert servant" he was if he hadn't realized that Sam had "accidentally on purpose" (as we like to say) revealed that Frodo carried the One Ring?
From the American Heritage Dictionary :
I don't think either of the first two definitions describe Sam at all, so I'm going to go with the third.ADJECTIVE:
pert·er , pert·est
1. Trim and stylish in appearance; jaunty: a pert hat.
2. High-spirited; vivacious.
3. Impudently bold; saucy.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, unconcealed, bold, short for apert, obvious, frank (probably influenced by Old French aspert, espert, clever), from Old French, from Latin apertus, open, past participle of aperre, to open; see wer- 4 in Indo-European roots
Faramir, as son of the Ruling Steward, was an aristocrat. We know that his father had servants, and I think it's pretty safe to assume that Faramir was very familiar with the usual role and demeanor expressed by servants. I think that we may also expect that most servants do not put themselves before their masters, but remain in the background while their masters do most or all of the talking and debating.
I think the above is an example of what Faramir would term "pertness": impudently bold.'See here, Captain!' He planted himself squarely in front of Faramir, his hands on his hips, and a look on his face as if he was addressing a young hobbit who had offered him what he called 'sauce'...'What are you driving down on us! If you think my master murdered this Boromir and then ran away, you've got no sense; but say it, and have done!...
'Patience!' said Faramir, but without anger. 'Do not speak before your master, whose wit is greater than yours..'
Examining the etymology one sees terms like "open" and "unconcealed". If Sam were "play-acting" (as he suspected Strider might be doing when they first met him), he would be hiding or concealing his purpose, just the opposite meaning of the roots of the word pert.