The Languages of Arda

[minyaliel]

No, it's not just "elvish"! Tolkien actually made more than 16 languages for the ME population. These are:

- Quenya (spoken mostly by the High Elves)
- Sindarin ("elf common speech", so to say, this was spoken throughout Middle- earth, and originated from the Darkelves)
- Adûnaic (spoken by the Númenoreans)
- Westrom (the Common Speech)
- Telerin (language of the Sea Elves, the Teleri living in Valinor)
- Doriathrin (the mothertongue of the elves of Doriath, for instance Lúthien Tinúviel)
- Nandorin (language of the Green- elves, for instance Legolas)
- Old Sindarin (between Greyelvish and primitive elvish)
- Ilkorin (we don't really know much about it, but it was closely related to Doriathrin. We know some words, like adda - father and Tor Tinduma - king of twilight)
- Avarin ("The Avari were those Elves who remained content with Middle-earth and refused the summons of the Powers; but they and their many secret tongues do not concern this book," this is all we know about the people who spoke this language. We only know six words; kindi, cuind, hwenti, windan, kin- lai and penni.)
- Khuzdul (secret language of the Dwarves)
- Entish (don't be hasty... *laughs*)
- Orkish/ Black Speech
- Valarin (spoken by the Valar)
- Primitive Elvish (where it all started)
- Various Mannish tongues

Well, myself, I'm impressed by the amount of work put into this... and I think it is fascinating. What about you?

[DDL]

I am. As I've told you in PM, I never knew that people were that serious about the languages. Unfortunately, no one can actually speak or comprehend it, like Spanish or French. That would be awesome, though.

[bacon]

What makes you say that, DDL? I'm pretty sure that they can be learned and spoken and whatnot, but I may be wrong.

I like Elvish out of all of em.

[RaditzSoldier]

admin said:

What makes you say that, DDL? I'm pretty sure that they can be learned and spoken and whatnot, but I may be wrong.

I like Elvish out of all of em.

Which dialect?

[bacon]

I've never understood the difference between the two.

It's Quenya, and something else, correct?

[RaditzSoldier]

You confuse me.

[DDL]

Quenya - the Ancient Tongue
Sindarin - the Noble Tongue

Bacon, about what I was saying, I think this will explain it better.

[Gorbin]

I think he tried to make it seem more diverse. Like, how would you like a book that has like 5 different races in it, but they all spoke english and nothing else?

It would be boring, so I think that is why Tolkien chose to make more then just one language.

[minyaliel]

Actually, it wasn't like that, Gorbin. The languages preceeded their current "environment" (or, most of them), Tolkien created Arda and it's people to have a natural habitat for his languages. So his main passion was not creating the world in itself, but the languages. And since languages are moulded by their native speaker's country, culture and customs (the 3c's), then, the only way of making the languages evolve would be to make a people who would speak it. It was one big rolling stone, really - it sort of made a lot of other rocks go down the hill with it.

And Bacon, the languages are actually related to each other, but even so, they are not "dialects", they are two separate languages. Things are pronounced a little different, the grammar is possibly a little different, but the words are related to each other. For instance:
adar - father (Sindarin) atar - father (Quenya). They both derive from the same source, Primitive Elvish.

[Gorbin]

minyaliel said:

Actually, it wasn't like that, Gorbin. The languages preceeded their current "environment" (or, most of them), Tolkien created Arda and it's people to have a natural habitat for his languages. So his main passion was not creating the world in itself, but the languages. And since languages are moulded by their native speaker's country, culture and customs (the 3c's), then, the only way of making the languages evolve would be to make a people who would speak it. It was one big rolling stone, really - it sort of made a lot of other rocks go down the hill with it.

And Bacon, the languages are actually related to each other, but even so, they are not "dialects", they are two separate languages. Things are pronounced a little different, the grammar is possibly a little different, but the words are related to each other. For instance:
adar - father (Sindarin) atar - father (Quenya). They both derive from the same source, Primitive Elvish.

I think that was what I meant. But what I don't get is why he didn'tt have more then one dwarven language?

[minyaliel]

Umm... there wasn't need for another one...? The dwarves use common and khuzdul, right? The only reason there are two elvish languages is that they were in fact split up into two "groups" of elves when the Valar summoned them to Valinor (I suggest you read about this in the SIL). Originally, they spoke the same language, but when they couldn't keep in touch anymore, the language developed into two separate languages, one influenced by Valinorian (I think) and the other just continued it's natural evolution from primitive elvish. Same with the different tongues of men, almost. But the dwarves held together (by the way, have you read about how the dwarves came into being? Very exciting, really so there was no reason for them to have a third language, really.

[Gorbin]

(I still haven't finished with ROTK )

[minyaliel]

(*chuckles friendly* Well, no problem We have all been there Read the Silmarillion when you're finished, you won't regret it )