Black Speech and Orkish
- This page is about the language. For the MP skill, see Black Speech (Skill).
Black Speech and Orkish refer to various languages that are used by creatures in the service of Sauron. These harsh tongues are generally considered very unpleasant to the Free Peoples, and few among them ever learn them.
The Black Speech was devised by Sauron as a common language for all his servants. But this was not to be, for after his defeat in the Second Age this original Black Speech was forgotten by all but the Nazgûl. It survived in a debased form spoken by the Orcs of Mordor, and many Black Speech words remained in the vocabulary of Orcs in the Third Age. Bereft of a Dark Lord's rule, the Orcs splintered into tribes and settlements unfriendly to one another, each with their own variant of Orkish language. Orcs tend to make coarse, rudimentary dialects based on other languages, and despite the common Black Speech origin, these dialects became mutually unintelligible. Thus, Orcs often rely on crudely-spoken Westron for inter-tribal communication.[1]
Some form of Black Speech seems to still be in use in Angmar and Southern Mirkwood, as well as by at least some White Hand Orcs.[2][3][4]
Black Speech and Orkish word list
See External Links for many more definitions and details. Note that little of the true Black Speech is known, and these words have varying degrees of authenticity. Different sources may have few words in common, and sometimes give different definitions to those they do share.
| Name | Translation |
|---|---|
| Akul | Frost, ice |
| Áth | Dog |
| Balt | Marsh, mud |
| Balt-olog | Marsh troll |
| Bidroi | Revenge |
| Bishúk | Moor |
| Blog | Blood |
| Blogmal | Blood-mountain |
| Bloz | Ash, soot |
| Búbhosh | Great |
| Bugdash | Birth name |
| Bugdatish | Name-keeper |
| Bugud | Name |
| Búrz, bûrz | Dark |
| Bûrzum | Darkness |
| Dâg | Child |
| Dalgum | Garbage |
| Dâr | House |
| Dorr | Swine |
| Dru, drû | Timber, wood (material) |
| Durub | Ruler |
| Dush | Sorcery |
| Faltor | Fane, temple |
| Fashat | Village |
| Fil | Cave, crack |
| Fra | Foot |
| Frûm | Spirit |
| Fushaum | Camp |
| Gâm | Disease, illness |
| Gath | Leaf |
| Gazat | Dwarf |
| Ghâsh | Fire, flame |
| Gijak | Blood |
| Ghâshfra | Fire-foot |
| Ghâsh-hai | Fire-folk |
| Glob | Filth |
| Globsnaga | Filth-slave |
| Golug | Elf, High Elf (Noldo) |
| Goth | Lord, master |
| Gothbúrz | Dark Lord, the Master |
| Grak | Trap |
| Grish | Blood |
| Gropor | Valley |
| Groth | Grey |
| Gûl | Wraith |
| Gurz, gúrz | Death |
| Hai | Folk |
| Hatur | Hate |
| Hîsht | Ash |
| Hon | Look, see, watch |
| Jarn | Iron |
| Jug | South |
| Kala, kála | Castle, fortress, stronghold |
| Kâm | Cleft |
| Karn | Red |
| Krah | Arm (body part) |
| Krahjarn | Iron-arm |
| Lata | Under |
| Lind | East |
| Lagúrz | Broken |
| Laug | Dire |
| Lug, lûg | Fortress, prison, tower |
| Mal | Mountain |
| Maudhul, maudhúl | Camp |
| Maufulug | Barracks |
| Matum | Death |
| Matúrz | Dead, mortal |
| Mau | Warrior |
| Mokal | Marsh |
| Mor | Black |
| Mur | Door, room |
| Murg | Drear, grey |
| Nakh | Hand |
| Nar | No, not |
| Narbugud | nameless |
| Nau | End |
| Nink | White |
| Núrzum | Wrath |
| Olog | Troll (used by the Free Peoples to refer to a new breed of Gorthorog-kind) |
| Olog-hai | Troll-folk (used to refer to the new breed of Ologs specifically) |
| Ong | Iron |
| Ongbúrz | Dark-iron |
| Porandaum | West |
| Praush | Spoil |
| Pûlpum | Drum |
| Pushdug | Squalid, filthy |
| Rashat | Skull |
| Ríp | Skin |
| Ronk | Pit, pool |
| Rukh | Horror |
| Sár | Bitter |
| Shakatrog | Devastate |
| Shâpol | Cave |
| Sharkû | Old man (Saruman) |
| Shâtroful | Cave |
| Shakh | Lord |
| Shík | Scream |
| Skai | Exclamation of contempt or disbelief |
| Skoi | Fly (insect) |
| Skûm | Smell, odour |
| Slaiug, slaug | Living |
| Snaga | Slave, weaker Orc |
| Stazg | Place |
| Târ | High |
| Tark, târk | Dúnedain, Gondorians, Race of Man, Númenórean (used in the Army of Angmar to refer to Men in general) |
| Tarkríp | Man-flayer |
| Tau | Forest |
| Thol | Deep, deeps (noun) |
| Thrâng | Rage |
| Thrug, thrûg | Murderer |
| Tum, tûm | Smoke |
| to (preposition) | |
| Urro | Hate, revulsion |
| Uruk | Orc (especially the kind known to the Free Peoples as Uruks) |
| Uruk-hai | Orc-folk (used to refer to Uruks specifically) |
| Ushtar | Army |
| Utot | Town |
| Vadok | Death |
| Varg | Ridge |
| Vogál | Little, upstart |
| Vor, vôr, voraut | North |
| Yûl | Less |
| Zot | Lord |
| Zûr | Wily |
Background
J.R.R. Tolkien translated very few Black Speech words. The only known example of pure Black Speech is the One Ring's inscription, and several translations have been given for a phrase of Third Age Mordor Black Speech. These have inspired fans to expand the lexicon with "neo-Black Speech". Some neo-Black Speech definitions and dictionaries match The Lord of the Rings Online's usage of the language better than others. Some of the words that fit LOTRO's usage are listed on this page.
External Links
- Black Speech - Tolkien Gateway
- Parf Edhellen - searchable dictionary of Tolkien's languages, including what little Black Speech he published
- Black Speech - The Land of Shadow - neo-Black Speech site, with invented grammar and some words used by LOTRO
- Black Speech Dictionary - Angelfire - English to neo-Black Speech dictionary, with some words used by LOTRO
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of Other Races"
- ↑ Chapter 4: Marching Orders
- ↑ A Shadow on the Camp
- ↑ Book 2, Chapter 2: An Orc Messenger