Tolkien Gateway

Drúadan language

The Drúadan language referred to the tongue of the Drúedain.[1]

Contents

[edit] Characteristics

The voices of the Drúedain are said to have been "deep and guttural",[2] possibly also describing the sound of their language as Ghân-buri-Ghân's accent when using Westron is described with the very same words.[3][4]

Helge Fauskanger has noted that the Drúadan tongue appears to be unrelated to the Common Speech.[4] According to a late manuscript by Tolkien, it had possibly been influenced by Elvish (at least for the word gorgûn).[5]

[edit] Wordlist

[edit] Names

In a manuscript by Tolkien written in the late 1950s, he uses the name Druadan (also referring to a member of the Drúedain in The Lord of the Rings; amended to Drúadan in the second edition) for the language of the Woses.[1]

This seems to be the only occurrence where Tolkien uses a name for this tongue: since the manuscript was published as late as 2007, fans and scholars have often used the unattested name Drúedainic to refer to the same tongue.[4][6][7]

[edit] Portrayal in adaptations

1982-97: Middle-earth Role Playing:

The tongue of the Woses is called Pûkael, said to be "ideally suited to their voices and... alien to that of other Men".[8] Pûkael is nearly impossible for other people to pronounce, and the Woses are not willing to teach it.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 99
  2. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Drúedain"
  3. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Ride of the Rohirrim"
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Helge Fauskanger, "Various Mannish Tongues - the sadness of Mortal Men?" at Ardalambion (accessed 28 December 2010)
  5. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar: Appendix C. Elvish names for the Orcs", p. 391
  6. ↑ Andreas Moehn, Etymologies of the Atani Languages at Middle-earth Science Pages (accessed 31 July 2011)
  7. ↑ Message 15239 (dated 23 May 2002) at [Elfling (mailing list)
  8. ↑ S. Coleman Charlton (1993), Middle-earth Role Playing (2nd edition, softcover) (#2001), p. 175
  9. ↑ Mark Rabuck (1992), Northwestern Middle-earth Gazetteer (#4002), p. 27
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