| Alcarillo |
07-25-2005 06:43 PM |
It's called Valarin, and I suppose it was used to communicate. What else could it be for? Valarin also seems to have influenced other languages in Arda, as Ardalambion points out:
Quote:
Nonetheless, Quenya borrowed some words from Valarin, though they often had to be much changed to fit the restrictive phonology of High-Elven. From the Silmarillion we remember the Ezellohar, the Green Mound, and Máhanaxar, the Ring of Doom. These are foreign words in Quenya, adopted and adapted from Valarin Ezellôchâr and Mâchananaškad. The names of the Valar Manwë, Aulë, Tulkas, Oromë and Ulmo were borrowed from Valarin Mânawenûz, A3ûlêz, Tulukastâz, Arômêz and Ulubôz (or Ullubôz). So is the name of the Maia Ossë (Ošošai, Oššai). The names Eönwë and possibly Nessa also seem to be adopted from Valarin, though the original forms of the names are not recorded.
Sometimes a Quenya word derived from Valarin does not mean exactly the same as the original word. Quenya axan "law, rule, commandment" is derived from the Valarin verb akašân, supposedly meaning "He says" - "he" being none other than Eru Himself. The Vanyar, who were in closer contact with the Valar than the Noldor, also adopted more words from their tongue, like ulban "blue" (original Valarin form not given). But the Valar themselves encouraged the Elves to translate Valarin words into their own fair tongue rather than adopt and adapt the original Valarin forms. And so they often did: The names Eru "the One = God", Varda "the Sublime", Melkor "He who arises in Might" and several others are one hundred percent Elvish, but also translations of the Valarin names. See WJ:402-403 for a full list of such translated words and names.
By mysterious routes, Valarin also influenced other tongues than Quenya. It is interesting to note that the Valarin word iniðil "lily, or other large single flower" appears in Adûnaic (Númenórean) as inzil "flower" (as in Inziladûn "Flower of the West", UT:227). How could a Valarin word get into Adûnaic? Via Elves, possibly even Vanyar, visiting Númenor? Via Khuzdul, if Aulë put this word into the tongue he devised for the Dwarves? There is little doubt that the speech of the ancestors of the Edain was heavily influenced by Dwarvish. There is no record of any Vala ever visiting the Númenóreans and speaking to them directly, and even if one did, he would certainly use a language they could understand, not Valarin.
Anthony Appleyard has pointed out that one word in Sauron's Black Speech, nazg "ring", seems to be borrowed from Valarin naškad (or anaškad? The word is isolated from Mâchananaškad "Ring of Doom", so we cannot be sure of its exact form). As a Maia, Sauron would know Valarin.
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So there are some similarities between Valarin and the languages of Middle-earth, in that Valarin influenced some vocabulary. As for the differences, it uses some phonemes not used in other languages, which include a gh sound, and a distinction between aspirated and unaspirated sounds. Sh is also present. Sure, some Middle-earth languages have these sounds, but it just sounds very different to me. Also, Valarin words are commonly sesquipedalian, up to 19 letters.
I hope that answers some of your question(s). |
