Exploring Every Language Created by Tolkien for The Lord of the Rings

The linguistic landscape crafted by J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the most enchanting features of his works, including The Lord of the Rings. Before even imagining a Hobbit, Tolkien, a dedicated philologist, immersed himself in the study of languages. His literary contributions extend beyond The Lord of the Rings, encompassing The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and a vast array of notes and unfinished tales. Tolkien’s son, Christopher, dedicated much of his life to compiling the extensive secondary materials related to his father’s world.

Tolkien’s legacy as a pioneering figure in fantasy literature thrives largely due to his intricate fictional languages, which breathe life into Middle-earth, making it feel as tangible and rich as any real location. This vibrancy is further enhanced by a tapestry of unresolved mysteries and ancient legends throughout his narrative, inviting readers to recognize that the unfolding events of these tales represent just a glimpse into the vast adventures awaiting in Middle-earth, starting with the exploration of its diverse languages.

12
Valarin

Spoken By The Valar & Maiar

The Valar and Maiar, celestial beings conceived from the thoughts of Ilúvatar, began without a need for language during the initial moments of creation. They sang the Music of the Ainur, giving rise to Eä, the world. As life emerged, however, they recognized the necessity of verbal communication, leading to the development of Valarin.

Yet, when the Elves first encountered Valarin, they found it harsh and unsettling to their ears. Consequently, the Valar and Maiar transitioned to using Quenya, integrating some Valarin terms into this more melodic language. Information about Valarin remains scarce; notably, Fëanor, the most knowledgeable of its speakers, hoarded his understanding of it, resulting in its eventual disappearance alongside him at the hands of Gothmog, Lord of the Balrogs.

11
Quenya

Spoken By The Elves Of Valinor

Quenya, deriving from Primitive Quendian, was the primary language used by the Elves upon their awakening and thrived during the First Age of Middle-earth. Evolving into three distinct dialects—Valinorean Quenya, Vanyarin Quenya, and Exilic Quenya—the term “Quenya”commonly refers to Noldorin Quenya in scholarly discussions as it predominated in Middle-earth.

During the Third Age, although Galadriel remained fluent in Quenya from her Valinorian heritage, the language largely became reserved for scholarly communication and rituals while Sindarin became the vernacular of daily life among the Elves. The rare occasions where elves heard Quenya spoken by outsiders brought joy; for instance, when Frodo Baggins greeted Gildor with “Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo”(“a star shines on the hour of our meeting”) in the Shire in T.A. 3018.

10
Sindarin

Spoken By The Many Elves Of Middle-Earth

Not all Elves journeyed to Valinor after awakening—a significant number stayed behind in Middle-earth, leading to nearly a dozen Elven types. Among the Teleri tribe, a split occurred between the Nandor (“those who retreat”) and the Sindar (“Grey-Elves”), who arrived at Beleriand but chose not to continue to Valinor.

Sindarin, inspired by Welsh, became the dominant language of the Elves in Middle-earth, contrasting with Quenya, which is influenced by Finnish. It emerged as the everyday language among Elves and had a significant following among the Men of Númenor, Gondor, and Arnor. In the Third Age, while written Sindarin employed the Tengwar script, it also utilized Cirth-runes, which the Dwarves adopted for their own writing system due to their suitability for stone carving.

9
Silvan

Spoken By The Wood-Elves Of Middle-Earth

Remaining away from Valinor, the Nandor eventually became known as the Silvan Elves, and their language, Silvan, was prevalent in their kingdoms of Mirkwood and Lothlórien. Over time, as Sindarin-speaking Elves settled in these regions, Silvan gradually faded to extinction, surviving primarily through place and personal names.

8
Adunaic

Spoken By The Men Of Númenor

The first humans to engage with the Elves were the Edain, later known as Númenoreans. Their language, Adûnaic, evolved into a means of communication with rising resentment towards the Elves during the late Second Age, leading to an effort to suppress Quenya and Sindarin across Númenor.

Following Númenor’s downfall, the usage of Adûnaic diminished as the Exiles adopted Sindarin, yet it remained influential enough to serve as a lingua franca among human realms, morphing into Westron.

7
Westron

Spoken By The Men And Hobbits Of Middle-Earth

As Adûnaic fell out of favor among the Dúnedain, it diffused throughout Middle-earth during the Third Age, evolving into Westron, also known as the Common Speech. Westron was the primary language of Gondor and also used by other groups, including the lake-men of the North, as well as the Dwarves who adopted it for ease of communication with others.

Consequently, many names in Westron provide English equivalents to those in literature; for example, Bilbo Baggins’ true name is reflected as Bilba Labingi, and Rivendell translates to Karningul. This fascinating linguistic choice allows readers of The Lord of the Rings to perceive Westron as Tolkien’s stand-in for English. As such, every English term in The Lord of the Rings derives from translations of Westron, including geographical names.

Interestingly, Westron remains one of Tolkien’s less elaborated languages, with its primary resource being Appendix F of The Lord of the Rings and supplementary details in The Peoples of Middle-earth, which is part of Christopher Tolkien’s comprehensive history of Middle-earth.

6
Khuzdul

Spoken By The Dwarves Of Middle-Earth

Unlike most languages in Middle-earth, Khuzdul was not derived from Elvish. Instead, it was a distinctive gift from Aulë, the Dwarven creator. Although the Dwarves shared it with friendly races, they primarily kept Khuzdul secret. Nonetheless, some influence on the languages of Men occurred when the Edain interacted with Dwarves in the Blue Mountains.

Khuzdul features a unique structure reminiscent of real-world Semitic languages, particularly through its reliance on triconsonantal roots. By the Third Age, Khuzdul retained its usage of cirth-runes, which many Men and hobbits mistakenly believed to be an invention of the Dwarves.

5
Entish

Spoken Only By The Ents & Entwives

Entish originated from the desire of the Ents to communicate after encountering the first Elves, leading to the creation of a language that bears no resemblance to any other in Middle-earth. Entish is remarkably slow, repetitive, and known for its long-winded expressions, as observed by Treebeard when he commented: “It takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish.”

Exclusive to the Ents, no other races of Middle-earth can truly understand Entish, as few beings can remain alert long enough to exchange more than cursory greetings.

4
The Black Speech

Spoken By Sauron & His Minions In Mordor

Born from Sauron’s arrogance and disdain for the Elves during his reign, the Black Speech was devised as the sole language for his minions in Mordor. However, most of its lexicon remains shrouded in mystery due to Sauron’s defeat, which hindered its natural evolution and led many of its words to merge with Orkish dialects.

One known unaltered expression of Black Speech is the inscription on the One Ring, skillfully written in the Tengwar script. Additionally, other fragmentary words exist, mostly as names of Orcs and followers of Sauron.

3
Rohirric

Spoken By The Men Of Rohan

Commonly referred to as “Rohan”by Tolkien, Rohirric is a term preferred by scholars to describe the language of the Rohirrim. This language cites its origins from the speech of the Northmen, where the ancestors of the Rohirrim, known as the Éothéod, migrated from the North in the Third Age. Notably, interactions with early hobbits led to mutual linguistic influences and cultural exchanges, shaping its development.

Legolas eloquently described the Rohirrim language: “That, I guess, is the language of the Rohirrim, for it is like to this land itself; rich and rolling in part, and else hard and stern as the mountains. But I cannot guess what it means, save that it is laden with the sadness of Mortal Men.”
In designing the phonetics of this language, Tolkien drew heavily from Old English, creating a sense of familiar yet foreign quality compared to Westron. This choice also reflected in the conventions for titles—placing the ruler’s title after their name (e.g., “Théoden King”).

2
Orkish

Spoken By Orcs & Goblins

The vast array of Orc and Goblin tribes in Middle-earth did not conform to a singular language but instead utilized a collection of distorted phrases and borrowed terms from various tongues. While Sauron sought to consolidate a standardized language through the Black Speech, the reality was that a functioning mixture of Westron, Sindarin, and Adûnaic constituted the common vernacular among these entities.

In the cinematic adaptations by Peter Jackson, linguist David Salo devised a more extensive vocabulary and grammatical structure for the Orcish language, which is termed Neo-Orkish. This approach mirrored similar developments for Khuzdul and the Black Speech in the striking visuals of Middle-earth.

1
Druidan

Spoken By The Drúedain Of The Forest

The secretive Drúedain, a group of Edain labeled as “wild men,”found refuge in the White Mountains near Gondor after facing persecution. However, by the Third Age, their numbers dwindled, and secrecy kept them mostly hidden from the peoples of Gondor and Rohan.

In T.A. 3019, the chieftain Ghân-buri-Ghân negotiated a pivotal alliance with Théoden King of Rohan, guiding them through a covert path to Minas Tirith in exchange for more dignified treatment. Their language, shaped by long isolation, proved nearly incomprehensible to speakers of Westron and Rohirric.

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