The Language of the Dwarves

[Ibun_Clawarrow]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the language of the dwarves wasn't as fully wrought out by Tolkien as the Elven tongue was it? If you were designing the dwarvish language, what would you base it on?

[lathspell]

I think Tolkien did that on purpose. I mean the unful Dwarven language for it is said that the Dwarves thought of that as their own secret language. And Tolkien might have left things out, as if to mean that little was known to anyboby about it (except by the Dwarves). Aule instructed them in that language after he wrought them and before Eru Iluvatar became aware of him.

I do not know what I would base the language for I haven't got any thought of it yet.

greetings, lathspell

[Ahanarion]

Yes the language of the dwarves is unfinshed but there are a few snippets of it in LotR and the Silmarillion. I'd suggest reading the article on it on Ardalambion (http://www.uib.no/People/hnohf/).

[VanimaEdhel]

Well: we probably do not know the languages because, like everyone else said, the Dwarves were very secretive, and most who were not dwarves did not know the languages. We, being Elves, Men, or Hobbits (mostly, there are a few exceptions: I have met some Dwarves on here), do not know the language because the Dwarves keep their lives, real names, and languages mostly secret, unless you are a special friend of the Dwarves.

[Sîdhrîs]

This is of course not more than my own personal impression, but dwarvish always reminds me of Maltese. I suppose that most of you have never heard this language, it's got influences of Arabian and Italian and a lot of own words. The way of speaking it is similar to the way of speaking Dwarfish as I imagine it. I don't think Tolkien based dwarvish on Maltese, but it's also got a very similar punctuation. And like dwarvish, Maltese is a closed book to foreigners... smilies/frown.gif