Sindarin

Sindarin or Grey Elven was originally an elvish dialect that arose in Beleriand among the grey Elves of the first Age from their own local Telerin dialect. Later it became the common lingua franca among the elves and was even preserved among the Dúnadan nobility as a language of etiquette.

Genealogy of Sindarin

• Primitive Quendian
  • Nelyarin Avarin
  • common Eldarin
  • common Telerin
    • Lemberin
      • Sindarin
        • Beleriandic or Lam Eglathon
          • Dialect of the House of Beor (influenced by Taliska)
            • Dialect of northwestern Númenór
              • Dialect of the Men of Gondor
                • Loremaster-dialect of the fourth Age (influenced by Westron and Quenya)
        • Mithrimin or northern Sindarin (strongly influenced by Noldorin)
        • Noldoric-Sindarin or Golodhbaeth (Dialect developed by the Sindarin-Speaking Noldor)
        • Dialect of the Wandering Tribes of Beleriand
        • Doriathrin or (Iathrin or Iathrimin)
        • Falathrin (still more archaic and closer to Falmarin)
          • Dialect of Balar and Sirion
            • Dialect of the Elves of Eriador
              • Dialect of Imladris (strongly influenced by Golodhbaeth and Quenya)
              • Lam Tawaren
                • Dialect of the Woodland Realm (strongly influenced by Nandorin)
                • Dialect of Lórien (strongly influenced by Nandorin)

Outer information

Tolkien's Sindarin was mainly inspired by Welsh, and perhaps to a much lesser extent, by Greek.Tolkiens earliest predecessor of later Sindarin was Goldogrin, originally intended as the mothertongue of the Noldoli, which later evolved into Sindarin, the Language of the Ilkorin of Beleriand.

Web Links

• Eldamo: Sindarin
• Hiswelókë's Sindarin dictionary
• Parf Edhellen: an elvish dictionary