Adûnaic

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Adûnaic (i.e. "Language of the west") was a language of Men, spoken only by the Númenóreans during the Second Age.

History

Adûnaic was derived from Bëorian and Hadorian tongues, collectively called Taliska of the Atani. During the Second Age, a Bëorian accent still survived in parts of Númenor, most notably in Emerië and around the harbour of Andúnië. Most of the House of Bëor had been killed after the Dagor Bragollach, and therefore the accent of the House of Hador had become most prevalent.

Adûnaic seems not to have been influenced by the language of the Second House of Men, the Halethian language, at all: when the Númenóreans returned to Middle-earth in the Second Age, they did not recognise the people of Enedwaith and the Forest-folk of Minhiriath as their distant kin, because they spoke a descendent of the Halethian language.^{[citation needed]}

Black Adûnaic in the Third Age

Westron or Common Speech, widely spoken in Middle-earth in the Third Age, was largely derived from Adûnaic. The Black Númenóreans of Umbar and other Númenórean colonies spoke a related tongue in the Third Age called Black Adûnaic, which was closer to the old tongue, as it was not enriched by Elvish influence.^{[citation needed]}

Conceptual history

Unlike Khuzdûl and the many Elvish languages, J.R.R. Tolkien based the Taliskan branch of Mannish languages on Germanic languages. However, he conceived Adûnaic with "faintly Semitic flavour" due to the influence of Khuzdûl in Taliska since the Elder Days.

Adûnaic wordlist

• ar - royal
• nimir - elf
• zimra - jewel
• phel - daughter
• azru - sea
• aglaril - brilliant
• dolgu - black
• zagar - sword
• Îr - one
• arnu - king
• gimil - star
• minil - sky
• Ûrî - sun
• nilû - moon
• zadna - house
• zîr - friend
• thon - gatherer
• khôr - lord
• sapthan - wizard
• balak - ship
• Zôr - flame
• pharaz - gold
• adun - west

External links

• Adûnaic in Ardalambion

See also

• Neo-Adûnaic

Translations

Foreign Language	Translated name
Azerbaijani	آدونائیک (Southern)
Belarusian Cyrillic	Адунаік
Bulgarian Cyrillic	Адунаик
Chinese	阿登奈克語
Dutch	Adûnaïsch
Esperanto	Aduna lingvo
French	Adûnaïque
Galician	Adûnaico
Georgian	ადუნაიკი
German	Adûnaïsch
Hebrew	אדונאית
Italian	Adûnaico
Japanese	アドゥーナイク
Korean	아두나익
Latin	Lingua Adûnaica
Lombard	Lengua adûnaica
Norwegian	Adûnaisk
Persian	آدونائیک
Polish	Język adûnaicki
Portuguese	Adûnaico
Russian	Адунаик
Slovenian	Adunajščina
Spanish	Adunaico
Swedish	Adûnaiska
Thai	อดูนาอิค
Ukrainian Cyrillic	Адунаік