Portal:Constructed languages/Language of the month/September 2010

Khuzdûl is a fictional language in the fantasy works of J. R. R. Tolkien. One of the languages of Arda in Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, it is spoken by the Dwarves. Khuzdûl is usually written with the Cirth script. It appears to be based, like the Semitic languages, on triconsonantal roots: kh-z-d, b-n-d, z-g-l.

In the fictional setting of Middle-earth, little is known of Khuzdûl, as the Dwarves kept it to themselves, except for their battle-cry: Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu! meaning Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!; and the runes written on Balin's tomb in Moria can be transliterated to read BALIN FUNDINUL UZBAD KHAZAD-DŪMU, meaning "Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria". This secrecy extended to Dwarven names: with the exception of the Petty-dwarves, all recorded Dwarven names are either from another language (Dalish) or nicknames/titles, and Dwarves do not even record their names on their tombstones. Only few non-Dwarves are recorded as having learnt Khuzdûl, most notably Eöl. Find out more...