Language

Ambar and Middle-earth were home to many and very different languages. While Valarin was usually considered the oldest tongue, it was generally believed the Elves were born with their own language already in mind, this language was later called primitive kwendian, the oldest and original form of Quenya. It has been debated if early men also were born with their own language or if they learned it from the Avari and thus the old Hildorin was either a descendant of Avarin or also an original language, however it was generally believed that the early mannish languages at last were heavily influenced by Avarin. In the First Age Sindarin was the common language of Beleriand, in many other parts of the world languages of Melkian origin started to spread however.In the Second Age Sindarin was largely replaced by Adûnaic as a lingua franca, it became very influential on many languages of western Harad and in the Westlands it later evolved into the common tongue, Westron, absorbing certain elements of native languages related to Adûnaic and its ancestors Taliska and Old Mago.

Map showing the most common languages of the Westlands (MERP)

Major languages and families

Major languages and families

Ancient Tongues

• Valarin
  • Aulëan
    • Khuzdul
      • some Edainic tongues and Easterling tongues
  • Giantish
  • Uinenóre
  • Melkian
    • Language of Angband and Utumno
      • Dragon-Speech
        • Old Wômarin
      • Haesig
      • Orcish dialects and Black Speech
        • Mordorin
          • Varadia
      • Varnese
  • Oromëan
    • Primitive Quendian
  • Keladian
    • Iruaric

Animal-Tongues

• Beast-Speech
  • Bird-speech
    • Eryr-Aryth
    • Throseltongue
    • Language of Owls
      • Beth-i-Farithryn
  • Serpent-Speech
  • Vurduk
  • Warg-Speech

Elven Tongues

Main article: Elven tongues

• Primitive Quendian
  • Avarin dialects
  • common Eldarin
    • Common Telerin or Lindarin
      • Nandorin
        • Hawnin
        • Lossidilrin
        • Ossiriandeb or Green-elvish
        • Silvan Elvish (Lam Tawaren)
          • Silvan Elvish of Lórien
          • Silvan Elvish of the Woodland Realm of Mirkwood
          • Uialrin
      • Ninnelen
      • Sindarin
        • Doriathrin
        • Falathrin
        • Númenórean Sindarin
          • Gondorian Sindarin or "King's Sindarin"
        • Noldorin-Sindarin
        • North-Sindarin or Mithrimin
  • Quenya or High-elven
    • Noldorin Quenya
      • Mulanoldorin
        • Kaukareldarin
    • Telerin Quenya or Falmarin
    • Vanyarin Quenya

Mannish tongues

Main article: Mannish tongues

Mannish language families

Primary language families include: Adanic, Rhovanian, Arhûnerin, Talatherin, Mornerin, Linerin, Avaradan, Drughic, Narnerin, Apysaic, Sharaeki, Akanli, and the language of the Old Ones.

Other

• Iglishmek
• Kraluk
• Veyus the Mentalist Tongue
• Waildyth

Abbrevations

A. - Aden Ac. - Aca Ad. - Adûnaic Ae. - Aegawin Ah. - Aharin Ak. - Adek Aka - Akanli Ap. - Apysaic Am. - Amazônaic Ans. - Ansith Ang. - Angmarin Ank. - Anklâ Ar. - Arhûnerin Arc. - Arctic As. - Asdraia At. - Avatanin Au. - Aulëan Av. - Avarin Bd. - Baradhrin Be. - Bethteur Bef. - Beffraen Bel. - Bellakarin Bl. - Blarm Br. - Brâric Bre. - Bregion BS. - Black Speech Ch. - Khyan Cu. - Cuindi D. - Dunael Del. - Delsk Di. - Dilikhran Dn. - Daenael Dr. - Drêlic Drû. - Drûghic DS. - Dragon-Speech Du. - Dunlending Dur. - Dursindarin Dy. - Dyrian E. - Edain Eh. - Ehwathrumiska El. - Elinse Éo. - Éothéodan Er. - Eriadoran Eri. - Old Eriadoran Es. - Easterling F. - Foradanin Fo. - Folyavulthig For. -Forodwaithian Fs. - Fasattâli Fu. - Fuinarin G. - Goldogrin (aka Gnomish) Ga. - Gathmarig Ge. - Geshânian GI. - Giantish H. - Hobbitish Ha. - Harnerin Hal. - Halethian Har. - Haradaic Hi. - Hillman Hl. - Hildorin Ho. - Honnin Ht. - Hathorian Ia. - Iauradanil Ib. - Ibavin Ig. - Igathig Il. - Ilkorin Io. - Ioradya Ir. - Iruaric K. Keladian Kd. - Kuduk Kg. - Kugathig Kh. - Khuzdul Ki. - Kîrani Kil. - Kiltanaic Kú. - Kùrúdfarî Ky. - Ky'târin L. - Lôkhan La. - Labba Li.-Lossidilrin Lin. - Liner Lo. - Logathig Los. - Lossidilrin Lt. -Lintanoin Ly. - Lynerin M. - Mordorian Ma. - Magrin Me. - Melkian Mb. - Mebion Bron Mg. - Old Magol Mo. - Mornârin Mû. - Mûmakanin Mr. - Múranien N. - Nandorin Na. - Narnerin Ni. - Ninnelen No. - Northman Nol. - Noldorin Nur. - Núrnian NS. - Númenórean Sindarin Od. - Odhraia OE. - Old Entish Ol. - Languages of the Old Ones Om. - Ômin Or. - Orcish Os. - Ossiriandeb P. - Pel Pe. - Pêdu PL. - Plainstongue PQ. - Primitive Quendian Pu. - Pultic R. - Rohanese Ra. - Ranaka Rh. - Rhovanian Rhu. - Rhûnic Q. - Quenya S. - Sindarin Sa. -Sâre Se. - Sederi Sg. - Sagathig Sh. - Shartha Si. - Silvan Sn. - Sháyan So. - Soelaasi Bu Syr. - Syrkan Sz. - Szreldorn T. - Taliska Ta. - Tantûraki Tal. - Talatherin Tel. - Telerin Th. - Thokot Tk. - Tûktanin Ts. - Ts'dan Tu. - Tumag Tyr. - Tyran Tz. - Tazinain Ui. - Uinenóre U. - Urdari Ul. - Ulgathig Um. - Umitic Ur. - Ûrdarian Us. - Ûsakani Um. - Umitic V. - Valarin Va. - Varadia Vn. - Vanyarin Vg. - Vogmurian Vm. - Vulman Vo. - Vothrig W. - Westron Wd. - Woodman Wm. - Wômarin Wo. - Wose Zi. - Zimrathânaic

Notes

The names/terms for a language can be confusing. Often there are two equivalent names: the first is the endonym (internal name), the other is the exonym (external name, which in the case of this wiki is in English). See: Wikipedia(En) article on endonym and exonym. So, for example: Blarm and Hillman (language) mean the same thing.

See also

• Haradrim Languages
• Languages of the Men of the East
• Languages of the Old Ones

References

• MERP: Lords of Middle-earth II: The Mannish Races
• MERP: Northwestern Middle-earth Campaign Atlas
• MERP: Northwestern Middle-earth Gazetteer