Westron, Annúnaid or Adûni was a late form of Adûnaic mixed with elements of indigenous languages, mostly from the edainic peoples of Eriador and Rhovanion but to some degree also with elements from the daen tongues.
The Westron was the official and most spread language in the ancient lands of Arnor and Gondor and it´s former provinces and had become the usual trade and colloquial language in the lands from Rhovanion to Rhûn and Haradwaith although tribal languages still remained prominent in the lands further removed from the Westlands. Therefore the Westron was also simply known as Sôval Phârë or the Common speech.
Dialects
- Archaic Westron - the early Form of Westron spoken in the early to mid Third Age.
- Breeish or Breelandish (rural Westron with elements of Daenael)
- Calenardhonian - The Westron Dialect of Calenardhon, heavily influenced by the Adûnaic dialect of Emerie and Taliska.
- Dialects of Minhiriath (Westron with elements of Daenael and Dunael)
- Dialects of the Northern marches and the Rivermen (Westron with Elements of Eriadic, Daenael and Blarm)
- Dwarvish Westron (ancient northern Westron with elements of old Rhovanian)
- Gondorian (archaic and formal Westron with elements of Sindarin)
- Fallohide - a dialect of Western-Rhovanian, much similar to the Woodman-Tongue
- Haradaic or Haradron (Westron with elements of Haruzan and Apysan)
- High-Westron - a sophisticated form of westron, with loanwords from Quenya and sindarin, spoken by the upper-classes of Arnor and Gondor
- Hobbitic ("Kuduk") (The dialect of the shire; Westron with some Elements of Rhovanian and Dunael)
- Old Marish-hobbitish - a Hobbitic dialect with many loanwords from Dunlendish
- Bucklandish - a hobbitic-dialect with many loanwords from dunlendish.Very close to Old Marish-hobbitish
- Old Marish-hobbitish - a Hobbitic dialect with many loanwords from Dunlendish
- Middle-Westron - the form of Westron spoken in the late third Age
- Rhûnic or Eastron (Westron with elements of different Ioradja and Ulgathig dialects)
- northern orcish (Westron mixed with elements of rhovanian, Melkian Orcish and the Black speech)
Wordlist
- Adûni - Western, Westron
- Annúnaid - Western, Westron
- Banakil - Halfling
- Barabatta - Quicktalker
- Bralda-hîm - heady ale
- Brandagamba - Marchbuck
- Branda-nîn - Border-water (Brandywine River)
- Castar - silverCoin
- Gamba - Buck
- Gandalf - according to one version a Westron name meaning "Staff-man"
- Hamanullas - small blue flower (Lobelia)
- Hîma - Ale, Beer
- Hlothram - Cottager
- Incánus - according to one version a westron name meaning "grey wanderer"
- Kali - merry
- Karningul - Rivendell
- Kast - Mathom
- Kastar
- Kuduk - Halfling, Hobbit
- Laban - bag
- Lôgrad - rohirric- westron meaning "Horse-march"
- Maura - Wise
- Narag - Dwarf
- Nas - people
- Neg - end
- Nîn - Water
- Phârë - speech
- Phurunargian - Dwarrow Delf
- radagast - according to one version a westron name meaning "Tamer of beasts"
- Razanur - Wanderer, Peregrin
- Razar - small red Apple, a Pippin
- Sôval - Common
- Sûza - Shire
- Tarkil - man of Númenorean descent
- Tharan - Quarter, Four
- Trân - Smial
- Tud -Watch, Guard
- Tûran, Tûrac - rohirric-westron meaning "King"
- Zara - old
Inspirations
Because a lot of the root words featured for Westron hardly seem Indo-European, such as the word "ban" for "half", "zir" for "wise", "nin" for "water", and "laban" for "bag", one has to wonder if Indo-European sources were intended at all. Given its descent from Adunaic, which is supposedly best compared to ancient Hebrew, Westron could be most like a very archaic Semitic language.
References
- Westron on Ardalambion (http://folk.uib.no/hnohf/index.htm)