dwarf languages

The Dwarves kept their language a carefully guarded secret. Only certain “public” terms passed into the general knowledge of other peoples. Some examples of these would be “Khazad-dum” (meaning Dwarrowdelf, or dwarf-delving) and “Barak Khazad, kazad ai-menu”, which of course means “axes of the dwarves, the dwarves are upon you!”

Even their names and writings are not in their own language. Gimli’s name was not, of course, really Gimli. He had a secret dwarvish name. “Gimli” was merely his outer name that he used when he was around non-dwarves, or basically, while travelling. Kinda like Frodo’s “Mr. Underhill”, but much more successfully sustained. The endurance of the dwarves is, after all, legendary.

If you are interested in Khuzdul (the dwarves’ language), check out this page:
Khuzdul on Ardalambion

As you can see, not much is known.

For the movie , they basically made stuff up. For instance, the spear that the cave-troll picks up to attack Frodo has runes on it that say “Troll’s bane” in Khuzdul…but they didn’t know how to say “troll” in dwarvish, so they just took the elvish word and modified it a bit. Same with Gimli’s retort to Haldir – it is, well, invented. That’s fine – no one can tell them they are wrong, since no one knows the language . But I am still ticked that they had Aragorn understand what he said – what’s the point of a secret language if some random “ranger of the North” knows it too? I mean, I would have grumbled if Saruman or Elrond understood dwarvish, but I could have accepted it since both characters study so much and have broad, unspecified wisdom. But Aragorn? Puh-leese .

But here’s that dialogue, nonetheless:
gimli: Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul.
gimli: ‘I spit upon your grave’
[According to Andreas Fröhlich, the director of the German translation of the movie.]

ishkhaqwi ‘I spit’.

ai prep. ‘upon’, reduced form of aya (WR:20)

durugnul ‘your grave’.

As you might guess, “upon” is the only word that is accurate. -ul is an adjectival ending (perhaps), meaning that “Khuzdul” makes “khazad” change from “dwarf” to “dwarvish”. It also appears in Balin’s tomb inscription, saying that he is “Balin, son of Fundin” – Balin Fundinul
Thus, if “durug” (or “darag”) were grave , then “durugnul” would be “of a grave” or “gravely” – not “your grave”. But, well, it sounded good

I do not speak the language myself, but even though you seem to already have the answer, here is a website you may want to look at:

www.learnelvish.com

Not only does it have elvish dictionaries, it also has the Rohirrim language, the Black tongue, and I think Dwarvish.

half elves

from http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Elendil

Line of the Half-elvenEdit

 

           Finwë = Indis                                                                                       |
             Fingolfin =Anairë    Galdor      Thingol = Melian
                      |             |                 |
                      |             |          (1)    |
             Turgon = Elenwë   Huor   Beren = Lúthien
                        |   (2)     |           |
                    Idril ======= Tuor        Dior = Nimloth
                             |                     |
                             |                -------------
                             |                |           |
                          Eärendil ======== Elwing   Eluréd and Elurín      
                                       |
                                ------------------------------
                                |                            |
                              Elros                       Elrond = Celebrían
                                |                            |
                        Kings of Númenor               
                                :                            |
                        Lords of Andunie               
                                :                            |
                             Elendil                  
                                  |                          |
                        -------------------             
                        |                 |                  |
                    Anarion        Isildur         
                         .                  .                |
                         .                  .                        
                Kings of Gondor----Kings of Arnor            |    
                                 |
                                 |               ----------------------
                 Chieftains of the Dúnedain      |        |           |
                                :        (3)     |        |           |
                             Aragorn ========= Arwen  Elladan and Elrohir
                                         |
                                         |--------------|
                                     Eldarion   Unnamed Daughters

Gandalf and tom bomadail

Thelandofshadow.com And wiki and Orcs and the black speech. | J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings all helped us

Gandalf and tom bomadail

As it is said in The Silmarillion, on the Third Age of Arda ‘there appeared in the west of Middle-earth the Istari, whom the Men called the Wizards’. In the hierarchy of power they were a separate race occupying the highest position and possessing supernatural powers. Their chiefs were Mithrandir and Curunír, or Gandalf and Saruman. Curunír was the eldest among the Istari and came first. Then came Mithrandir and Radagast. The latter was the friend of all birds and beasts, and spent his time guarding the forest realms of Middle-earth. Curunír journeyed far East and on his return he dwelt at Orthanc, the Tower built by the Númenoreans in the days of their power. Mithrandir devoted many long years to studying ancient scripts seeking to reveal the secret of the Rings. Knowledge was his power, which helped him to guide his companions rather than direct their wills. Saruman had also begun to study the lore of the Rings of Power and soon he turned to dark thoughts desiring to find the Great Ring and subdue the world to his own will. Gandalf seemed uncorrupted by his magical power and used it for good purposes. In this sense Gandalf, as Tolkien described him, is indeed an ‘angel’ come down among men. And as Gandalf is a wizard or ‘wise man’, his knowledge of the power of words suggests that he represents something of the author himself.

For communications with other peoples of Middle-earth Gandalf used their own tongues or the Common Speech, but yet preferred the Eldarian tongues to the others. Thus for setting a tree on fire he pronounced “Naur en edraith ammen! Naur dan i ngaurhoth!”, a phrase left by Tolkien untranslated, but which can be undoubtedly referred as an Elvish one. Then trying to open the gates of Moria Gandalf again cries out in this language, “Annon edhellin, edro hi ammen! Fennas nogothrim, lasto beth lammen!” for he was certain the inscription was made in Elvish like the writing on the arch. Owning to his great knowledge Gandalf was able to read even the inscription on the Ring which was in the Old Black Speech. With the end of the Third Age of Middle-earth he departed from it with the Elven-lords who had been dwelling there, for ‘magic has departed forever from this world and now remains only in ancient songs and Men’s memories’. [4]

Like the Ents, Tom Bombadil stands apart from all races of Middle-earth. He lives with Goldberry, his lady, in the heart of the Old Forest and is presented as a kind of spirit of nature who is untouched by the Dark Lord’s will.”Eldest,that is what I am. Tom was here before the rain and the trees. Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn”, says Bombadil of himself. [2]
He is purely natural and Nature’s power is an issue for him. As Goldberry explains, he is a ‘Master of Wood’, but he does not own it. He had lived before history. Tom can live with the trees because he is a spirit of Joy, beyond good and evil, taking Nature as it is. He is totally unaffected by the power of the Ring, he can even make it disappear. He possesses that holly Joy which lies at the basis of life. Bombadil is the power to the help of which the hobbits resort in need and fear, whose might can break the spell of the Barrow-wight. He is undoubtedly the soul of Middle-earth: simple-looking, light-minded but yet mysterious and strong.

As it is said in The Silmarillion, on the Third Age of Arda ‘there appeared in the west of Middle-earth the Istari, whom the Men called the Wizards’. In the hierarchy of power they were a separate race occupying the highest position and possessing supernatural powers. Their chiefs were Mithrandir and Curunír, or Gandalf and Saruman. Curunír was the eldest among the Istari and came first. Then came Mithrandir and Radagast. The latter was the friend of all birds and beasts, and spent his time guarding the forest realms of Middle-earth. Curunír journeyed far East and on his return he dwelt at Orthanc, the Tower built by the Númenoreans in the days of their power. Mithrandir devoted many long years to studying ancient scripts seeking to reveal the secret of the Rings. Knowledge was his power, which helped him to guide his companions rather than direct their wills. Saruman had also begun to study the lore of the Rings of Power and soon he turned to dark thoughts desiring to find the Great Ring and subdue the world to his own will. Gandalf seemed uncorrupted by his magical power and used it for good purposes. In this sense Gandalf, as Tolkien described him, is indeed an ‘angel’ come down among men. And as Gandalf is a wizard or ‘wise man’, his knowledge of the power of words suggests that he represents something of the author himself.

For communications with other peoples of Middle-earth Gandalf used their own tongues or the Common Speech, but yet preferred the Eldarian tongues to the others. Thus for setting a tree on fire he pronounced “Naur en edraith ammen! Naur dan i ngaurhoth!”, a phrase left by Tolkien untranslated, but which can be undoubtedly referred as an Elvish one. Then trying to open the gates of Moria Gandalf again cries out in this language, “Annon edhellin, edro hi ammen! Fennas nogothrim, lasto beth lammen!” for he was certain the inscription was made in Elvish like the writing on the arch. Owning to his great knowledge Gandalf was able to read even the inscription on the Ring which was in the Old Black Speech. With the end of the Third Age of Middle-earth he departed from it with the Elven-lords who had been dwelling there, for ‘magic has departed forever from this world and now remains only in ancient songs and Men’s memories’. [4]

Like the Ents, Tom Bombadil stands apart from all races of Middle-earth. He lives with Goldberry, his lady, in the heart of the Old Forest and is presented as a kind of spirit of nature who is untouched by the Dark Lord’s will.”Eldest,that is what I am. Tom was here before the rain and the trees. Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn”, says Bombadil of himself. [2]
He is purely natural and Nature’s power is an issue for him. As Goldberry explains, he is a ‘Master of Wood’, but he does not own it. He had lived before history. Tom can live with the trees because he is a spirit of Joy, beyond good and evil, taking Nature as it is. He is totally unaffected by the power of the Ring, he can even make it disappear. He possesses that holly Joy which lies at the basis of life. Bombadil is the power to the help of which the hobbits resort in need and fear, whose might can break the spell of the Barrow-wight. He is undoubtedly the soul of Middle-earth: simple-looking, light-minded but yet mysterious and strong.

MEN and HOBBITS

Men were the younger children if Iluvatar

There are several phrases in the language of Rohan represented in the book. Thus during the feast Eomer cries, “Westu Theoden hal! ” that means ‘Be thou healthy, Theoden!’ And Eowyn, passing her cup to her lord greets him, “Ferthu, Theoden hal! ” – ‘Go thou, Theoden, healthy!’
The language of Rohan not only resembles Old English, it is Old English. T.A.Shippey observes that social backgrounds of the Rohirrim have much in common with those of Anglo-Saxons when doorguards and gatewards are concerned. “They resemble those of the characters of Beowulf down to minute detail”.

The name of Eomer, Eomund’s son seems to be particularly suitable, as he is the Third Marshal of Riddermark, since mere in OE stands for ‘mare’ and a related word meark means ‘horse’ or ‘steed’.
His sister is named Eowyn, ‘delight in horses’, where wyn means ‘joy, pleasure’.
The lord of the Mark, who lead his cavalry to glorious victory and was slain in the Great Battle for Gondor also had a ‘speaking’ name. Theoden corresponds to the OE eoden ‘king’. His sister, wife of Eomund, was callled Theodwyn, ‘joy of princes’ and their father’s name Thengel corresponds to the OE engel ‘a prince’.

Hobbits

They are little people, smaller than Dwarves: less stout and stocky, that is, even when they are not actually shorter; they are dressed in bright colours; they seldom wore shoes, since their feet had tough leathery soles and were clad in thick curly hair much like the hair of their heads, which was commonly brown. Hobbit’s faces were as a rule good-natured rather than beautiful, broad, bright-eyed, red-cheeked, with mouths apt to laughter and eating and drinking.”