Canon - Mutual comparison of the canon vocabulary of Adûnaic, Westron and other Tolkien languages

A mutual comparison of canon terms and word roots from Tolkien's fictional languages, in the manner of a Swadesh list.

Within the context of this blog, the forms of these words that are considered canon forms, are all of those terms that Tolkien created during his lifetime and that survive directly in his notes (whether published in books, accessible online, or present in the archives of several university libraries and partly online as well). 

This article is considered complete in terms of its contents and its current state. 

 

The Swadesh list of canon vocabulary from several Tolkien-invented languages and its similarities:

• ADÛNAIC ||| WESTRON ||| QUENYA ||| SINDARIN ||| OEL ||| KH ||| MEANING
• adûn ||| N/A (however, Dúnadan is loaned) ||| N/A ||| dún, Dúnadan ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| west
• aglar ||| N/A ||| aclar ||| aglar ||| KAL (EvE), aglar (N., G.), aglath (G.), aclar (T.) ||| N/A ||| glory 
• ammî, ammê ||| emma ||| ammë, amal ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| mother
• ârû ||| aran ||| aran, (t)ar ||| aran, ar- ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| king
• attû, attô ||| onna ||| atar, zdrob. atto ||| N/A ||| attu (EvQ) ||| N/A ||| father
• azra ||| N/A ||| ëar ||| N/A ||| AYAR ||| N/A ||| sea    
• bâ ||| N/A ||| vá ||| baw ||| BA (EvE), bá (T.) ||| N/A ||| no (no !), not, no-    
• N/A ||| balc ||| N/A ||| balch ||| ÑGWAL (EvE/PE), balc (G.), balch (N.) ||| N/A ||| horrible, terrible, 
• N/A ||| basto ||| masta ||| bas(t), also lembas ||| bast (G., N.), also lembas (N.) ||| N/A ||| cake
• bêth, bith ||| batta ||| N/A ||| peth ||| KWET, PET ||| N/A ||| word, expression, say, speak  
• gimil, igmil ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| (Ñ)GIL (EvE) ||| kibil ||| star, star-shaped (Ad.), (white, pale) shine (EvE), silver (Kh.)    
• hazid, hazad ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| Khazad ||| seven (num.), seven houses of Dw. (Kh.)
• inzil ||| N/A ||| indil ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| flower (including lily, in the elvish languages) 
• N/A ||| karnin ||| kar- (word root) ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| (to) do, (to) make  
• N/A ||| karnin, passive ending suffix -nin ||| N/A ||| tirnen, passive ending -nen ||| N/A ||| passive ending suffixes (in adjectives and compound words)
• khôr ||| N/A ||| heru ||| N/A ||| KHER, khêr ||| N/A ||| ruler, (to) rule, (to) govern, (to) possess 
• N/A ||| krassa ||| N/A ||| caran, caradh- ||| N/A ||| baraz ||| red 
• lâi ||| N/A ||| lië ||| N/A ||| lai (Av. dialect) ||| N/A ||| (local) folk/people, inhabitants 
• lôkhi, lôkhî ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| lok- ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| bend, loop
• lômi ||| N/A ||| lómë ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| night (a calm night, fair night, not gloomy or scary)
• magân ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| mahal, Mahal ||| builder, maker, wright, manufacturer  
• minal ||| N/A ||| menel ||| menel ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| sky, heavens, firmament   
• narû ||| N/A ||| NÉR (word root), nér ||| N/A ||| NERE, ner ||| N/A ||| man, male  
• N/A (maybe nâs, nôs ?) ||| nas ||| nossë ||| nos(s) ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| people, kindred, family 
• N/A ||| nîn ||| nén ||| nen (sg.), nín (pl.) ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| water 
• N/A ||| ras ||| rassë ||| ras(s) ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| horn (animal, hunting, musical, mountain peak) 
• satta ||| N/A ||| satta, satto ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| two, two-, double-, double(d)
• tamar ||| dramar ||| tamo ||| tân ||| TAM (EvE) ||| N/A ||| smith (more loosely also a wright, maker) 
• târik ||| N/A ||| tarma ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| column, pillar (e.g. in Minul-târik/Meneltarma)
• N/A ||| tûph ||| tópa, túpo, tupu- ||| N/A ||| toba-, tobas ||| N/A ||| roof  
• urug ||| rukku ||| morco, morko ||| graw ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| bear
• uruk ||| orka ||| orco ||| orch ||| N/A ||| rukhs ||| orc 
• N/A ||| zîr(a) ||| saira ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| N/A ||| wise

Notes:

OEL = "other elvish languages" 
KH = Khuzdul, dwarvish

Altogether, we've been able to find at least thirty three groupings of interrelated terms from these most common of Tolkien's fictional languages. Much more than we initially expected, given the less numerous vocabulary of both canon Adunaic and canon Westron. The above Swadesh list shows very convincingly that professor Tolkien put a lot of thought even into his lesser used and less prominent constructed languages, even in situations where the origin of the loanword is clear or fairly clear.

Because all of the newly-introduced P-AdW terms, the newly-introduced words weren't and aren't part of Tolkien's original notes concerning his fictional languages, and thus aren't included in the above tables, the above overview. This overview only compares the confirmed words from the author's linguistic and literary work throughout the years, work written by his own hand, or with the help of a typewriter. 

Given that the newly-introduced P-AdW terms are new derivatives from the canon vocabulary of Tolkien's Adûnaic and Westron, as well as derivatives from the vocabulary of Tolkien's elvish languages and other fictional languages of Arda, any sort of effort at comparing the newly-introduced vocabulary with the vocabulary of the other languages wouldn't make any sense.

----
 

Related articles

Slovak language version of this article

Canon - A map of western Middle-earth

Canon - Alphabets and pronunciation of Adunaic and Westron

Canon - Nouns - Nature (inorganic nature, time and natural cycles, plants, animals, anatomy)

Canon - Nouns - Society (ethnic appelations, culture, economy, settlements, architecture, governance, warfare)

Canon - Nouns - Personal names and epithets

Canon - The "Haladinic languages" (Halad(in)ic and Dunlendish) and their known vocabulary



----
 

External links


Ardalambion.net - Overview of Adûnaic

Ardalambion.net - Overview of Westron



Eldamo.org: 

aclar (T.), adûn (Ad.), aglar (Ad.), aglath (G.), amal (Q.), ammë (Q.), ammê (Ad.), aran (Q.), aran (S.), ârû (Ad.), attô, attû (Ad.), atar (Q.), atto (Q.), attu (EvQ), ayar (Ad.), azra (Ad.), balc (G.), balc (W.), balch (N.), balch (S.), batta (W.), bêth (Ad.), bith (Ad.), bas(t) (S.), bast (G.), bast (N.), bâ (Ad.), baw (S.), caran, caradh- (S.), dún, Dúnadan (S.), ëar (Q.), graw (S.), gimil (Ad.), gimil (Ad. word root), gimli (Ad.), hazad, hazid (Ad.), heru (EvQ), heru (Q.), indil (Q.), inzil (Ad.), inzil (EdL), karnin, Karningul (W.), Khazad, Khazad-dûm (Kh.), kher (EvE/PE), khêr (EvE/PE), kibil (Kh.), lembas (N.), lembas (S.), lok- (EvE/PE), lôkhi, lôkhî (Ad.), lómë (Q.), lômi (Ad.), Mahal (Kh.), magân (Ad.), masta (Q.), menel (Q.), minal (Ad.), Minul-târik (Ad.), morco, morko (Q.), narû (Ad.), nas (W.), nén (Q.), ner, nër (EvQ), nér (Q.), nere (EvE/PE), ÑGWAL (EvE/PE), nín (S.), nîn, Branda-nîn (W.), nos(s) (S.), nossë (Q.), orco (Q.), orch (S.), orka (W.), ras, raspûta (W.), ras(s) (S.), rassë (Q.), rukhs (Kh.), saira (Q.), satta (Ad.), satta (Q.), satto (Q.), tamar (Ad.), tamo (Q.), tân (S.), târik (Ad.), toba- (N.), tobas (N.), tópa (Q.), tópa- (Q.), tûpo (Q.), tupu- (EvQ), uruk (Ad.), urug (Ad.), zîr(a) (W.)

Elfdict.com:

aclar (T.), adûn (Ad.), aglar (Ad.), aglath (G.), amal (Q.), ammë (Q.), ammê (Ad.), aran (Q.), aran (S.), ârû (Ad.), attô, attû (Ad.), atar (Q.), atta (Q.), atto (Q.), attu (EvQ), ayar (Ad.), azra (Ad.), batta (W.), bêth (Ad.), bith (Ad.), bas(t) (S.), bast (G.), bast (N.), bâ (Ad.), baw, baw! (S.), caran, caradh- (S.), dún, Dúnadan (S.), ëar (Q.), graw (S.), gimil (Ad.), gimil (Ad. slovot. kor.), gimli (Ad.), hazad, hazid (Ad.), heru (EvQ), heru (Q.), igmil (Ad.), indil (Q.), inzil (Ad.), inzil (EdL), karnin, Karningul (W.), Khazad, Khazad-dûm (Kh.), kher- (EvE/PE), khêr (EvE/PE), lembas (N.), lembas (S.), lok- (EvE/PE), lôkhi, lôkhî (Ad.), lómë (Q.), lômi (Ad.), Mahal (Kh.), magân (Ad.), masta (Q.), menel (Q.), minal (Ad.), Minul-târik (Ad.), morco (Q.), narû (Ad.), nas (W.), nen (S.), nén (Q.), ner, nër (EvQ), nér (Q.), nere (EvE/PE), ÑGWAL (EvE/PE), nín (S.), nîn, Branda-nîn (W.), nos(s) (S.), nossë (Q.), orco (Q.), orch (S.), orka (W.), ras, raspûta (W.), ras(s) (S.), rassë (Q.), rukhs (Kh.), saira (Ad.), satta (Ad.), satta (Q.), satto (Q.), tamar (Ad.), tamo (Q.), tân (S.), târik (Ad.), tobas (N.), tópa (Q.), tópa- (Q.), túpo (Q.), tupu- (EvQ), uruk (Ad.), urug (Ad.), zîr(a) (W.) 

Overview of Westron vocabulary:
aran (W.), balc (W.), basto (W.), batta (W.), emma (W.), karnin (W.), krassa (W.), nas (W.), nîn (W.), onna (W.), ras (W.), rukku (W.), tûph (W.), zîr(a) (W.)