Orkish was a general term for the jumble of languages used by the Orcs, composed from corrupted borrowings from other languages of Middle-earth. The variations in Orkish between different tribes and types of Orc were so great that it was often useless for communication, and so a standard language was necessary. Sauron devised his Black Speech for this purpose in Mordor, but in practice the Common Tongue was more normally used.[1]
It is said that it was Morgoth who invented the speech for the Orcs in the first place,[2] thus relating to an earlier concept of Melkian family of tongues.
See also
External links
- Orkish and the Black Speech by Helge Fauskanger
- Yrksk Orðabók (Neo-Orkish wordlist from The Hobbit film series) by David Salo
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of Other Races"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Outline of Phonology", in Parma Eldalamberon XIX (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 100