in the earliest versions of the Elven tongues (or at least "Qenya", see The BoLT) Tolkien indicated that vowels at the end of words were to become pronounced like the schwa. Just one of the many things he changed as his languages evolved, I guess.

I, being a native English speaker, can hardly imagine speaking a language without schwa. Yes, it is a rather uncouth verbal crutch, but it does give many benefits in spoken English, since it speeds delivery. It makes many words that would otherwise be difficult to pronounce easy. However, it's very hard for (some) non-native speakers to catch on to, at least at first. Just imagine how much different almost every word in the English language would sound if we stopped using schwa!

Interestingly, the word "schwa" derives from a Hebrew word meaning "nothingness". That's exactly what happens to a vowel under its influence: it fades into nothingness!

_______________________

Lament of the Roadirrim

Where now the car and the driver? Where is the horn that was honking?
Where is the gas and the mirrors, and the bright lights flooding?
Where is the hand on the gear shift, and the turn signal flashing?
Where is the brake and the dashboard and the taillights glowing?
They have passed like Nascar racers, like a truck on the freeway;
The roads have gone down in the West behind the hills into suburbs.
Who shall gather the parts from the junkyard rusting,
Or behold the fuel again combusting?

By Tar-Telperien, with apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien

Numenorean

To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
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