15
votes
Accepted
Is Tolkien's Dwarvish really based on Hebrew?
Yes.
According to this interview with Tolkien, he really did design it to be Semitic. He says,
The dwarves of course are quite obviously, wouldn't you say that in many ways they remind you of the ...
- 1,237
8
votes
How much Dwarvish did Tolkien actually devise?
As per this (cited by "An Analysis of Dwarvish" in Arda Philology 1: Proceedings of the First International Conference, with a very nice glossary of the language, which can be found here):
...
- 769
5
votes
Saying "hello" in khuzdul
Well, from what we can glean out of the given texts, I'd be looking for something more like "at your service" rather than "good day".
I know the movies aren't canon, but Jackson depicts the Dwarves ...
- 3,284
3
votes
Accepted
Were Tolkien's languages used in the works of C. S. Lewis and other inklings?
Tolkien addresses the use of some of his words by C.S. lewis in a letter to Dick Plotz on September 12, 1965. The letter is numbered 276 in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.
This is the relevant part of ...
- 2,149
1
vote
Are words for "machine" and the like in Tolkien present in Elvish/Westron?
Quenya has tanwë which means "device, craft, construction." A search for "machine" on this site which may or may not be reputable gives a couple of other words in Quenya, Sindarin, and Noldorin.
...
- 1,375
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