· Possible Influences of the Tongues of Arda ·

« All speech of men in this world is Elvish in descent »
Faramir, from The War of the Jewels

« Elves made all the old words: they began it »
Fangorn, from The Lord of the Rings



During the process of learning Quenya and Sindarin I found many words which exist both in "real-world" languages (mostly Hebrew, my mother-tongue) and in Tolkien's languages. Here you can find many of those words, recorded by me and by others.
Note: Hebrew stressed syllable are marked by circumflex (ˆ); 'ajin is marked by a ' sign.


The words: rochbin · rochvîm
Languages: Sindarin · Hebrew
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen
The real-world word: Hebrew rochvîm means 'riders'
The Ardalambe word: Sindarin rochbin means 'riders'
Additional information: v is the fricative form of the plosive b; m is the bilabial form of the dental n

The words: gador · gadêr
Languages: Sindarin · Hebrew
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 9/4/2002
The real-world word: Hebrew gadêr means 'fence'
The Ardalambe word: Sindarin gador means 'prison, dungeon'
Additional information: Prisons are fenced

The letters: Órë · r
Alphabets: Tengwar · Latin alphabet
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 8/4/2002
The real-world letter: The form and the meaning of the letter r in the Latin alphabet
The Ardatencele letter: The form and the meaning (r) of the letter Órë in Tengwar
Additional information: The Westron name for Órë is ar

The words: KWAL · qual
Languages: Quenya · German
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 4/4/2002
The real-world word: German qual means 'distress, excruciation, torture, agony, anguish, dolour, pain, torment'
The Ardalambe word: The etymological stem KWAL means 'die in pain'
Additional information: The Quenya words qualme 'agony, death', qualin 'dead', unquale 'agony, death' are derived from this stem

The words: Arda · erde
Languages: Quenya · German
Recorded by: Dani Orbach
The real-world word: German erde means 'earth'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya Arda means 'the Realm, Earth, the World'
Additional information: none

The words: nár · nar
Languages: Quenya · Arabic
Recorded by: Dani Orbach
The real-world word: Arabic nar means 'fire'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya nár means 'fire'
Additional information: none

The words: *raion · raion
Languages: Quenya · Japanese
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 20/3/2002
The real-world word: Japanese raion means 'lion'
The Ardalambe word: It is possible to construct from the Quenya word 'lion' the word *raion 'son of the lion'
Additional information: ra is probably an onomatopoeia, the roar of the lion

The words: alm · alm
Languages: Nandorin · Danish (and others)
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 18/3/2002
The real-world word: Danish and Swedish alm, English elm, Old High German elm, German ulme, Icelandic alm(r) and Latin ulmus all means 'elm-tree'
The Ardalambe word: Nandorin alm means 'elm-tree'
Additional information: Nandorin called 'Danian', the language of the Danas (Nandor); alm is 'elm' both in Danian-Nandorin and in Danish

The words: tango · twang
Languages: Quenya · English
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 25/2/2002
The real-world word: English twang means 'twang'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya tango means 'twang'
Additional information: This is probably an onomatopoeia

The words: liquis · liquid
Languages: Quenya · Latin (and others)
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 25/2/2002
The real-world word: Latin liquidus, Old Franch liquide and English liquid means 'liquid'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya liquis means 'transparence'
Additional information: Many liquids are transparent

The words: macar · mochêr
Languages: Quenya · Hebrew
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 25/2/2002
The real-world word: Hebrew mochêr means 'tradesman'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya macar means 'tradesman'
Additional information: none

The words: hi · hi
Languages: Adûnaic · Hebrew
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 16/2/2002
The real-world word: Hebrew hi means 'she'
The Ardalambe word: Adûnaic hi means 'she', cf. Hi-Akallabêth 'She-that-hath-fallen'
Additional information: Hebrew and Adûnaic hi means 'she', while English he (pronounced as hi) means 'she'

The words: envinyata- · nouveau
Languages: Quenya · Franch
Recorded by: Daniel Margulis @ 9/2/2002
The real-world word: Franch nouveau means 'new'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya envinyata- means 'renew'
Additional information: nouveau is related to English new and Russian novie

The words: law · law
Languages: Sindarin · Hebrew
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 7/1/2002
The real-world word: Hebrew law (transcribed as law but pronounced as lav) means 'not'
The Ardalambe word: Sindarin law means 'not'
Additional information: none

The words: LIR · lyric
Languages: Quenya and Sindarin · Latin (and others)
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 25/12/2001
The real-world word: Latin lyricus, Greek lurikos, English lyric, Franch lyrique all means 'lyric, song'
The Ardalambe word: The etymological stem LIR1 means 'sing'
Additional information: The Quenya words líre 'song' lir- 'sing' and the Sindarin words glîr 'song' and gliri 'sing' are derived from this stem

The letters: Lambë and Alda · T and G
Alphabets: Tengwar · Irish alphabet
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 19/11/2001
The real-world letter: The form of the letters for T and G in the Irish alphabet
The Ardatencele letter: The form of the letters Lambe and Alda in Tengwar
Additional information: none

The letters: Parma and Quessë · p and q
Alphabets: Tengwar · Latin alphabet
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen
The real-world letter: The form of the letters for p and q in the Latin alphabet
The Ardatencele letter: The form of the letters Parma and Quessë in Tengwar
Additional information: none

The words: ava- · avâ
Languages: Quenya · Hebrew
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 14/11/2001
The real-world word: Hebrew avâ means '(he) willed'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya ava- means 'to refuse (not to will)', cf. Avari
Additional information: avá is the only word in Quenya which stressed on the final syllable (like Hebrew avâ)

The words: car- · k-r-
Languages: Quenya · Sanskrit
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 27/10/2002
The real-world word: The Sanskrit stem k-r- means 'make'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya car- means 'do, make'
Additional information: none

The words: úr, ûr · ur
Languages: Quenya and Sindarin · Aramic
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 9/9/2001
The real-world word: Aramic ur means 'fire'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya úr and Sindarin ûr means 'fire'
Additional information: The etymological stem UR was struck through and replaces by UR wide, large, great [...]

The words: pé · pe
Languages: Quenya · Hebrew
Recorded by: Yehuda Ronen @ 16/8/2001
The real-world word: Hebrew pe means 'mouth'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya means 'mouth'
Additional information: Afterward I discovered that someone (Helge Fauskanger?) found it before me

The words: Arda · arð
Languages: Quenya · Arabic
Recorded by: Niv D. @ 17/10/2000
The real-world word: Arabic arð means 'earth'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya Arda means 'the Realm, Earth, the World'
Additional information: I, Y.R, add that Sindarin ardh (arð) means 'realm, region' (as Quenya Arda)

The words: linda · lind
Languages: Qenya · Old German
Recorded by: Ales Bican
The real-world word: Old German lind means 'soft, tender'
The Ardalambe word: Qenya linda means 'gentle, kind, soft'
Additional information: none

The words: lá · la
Languages: Quenya · Arabic
Recorded by: Helge Kåre Fauskanger (?)
The real-world word: Arabic la means 'no, not'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya means 'no, not'
Additional information: Hebrew lo means 'no, not'

The words: cen- · kan
Languages: Quenya and Sindarin · Chinese
Recorded by: Helge Kåre Fauskanger (?)
The real-world word: Chinese kan means 'see'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya and Sindarin cen- means 'see'
Additional information: none

The words: garm · Garm
Languages: Doriathrin · Old Norse
Recorded by: Helge Kåre Fauskanger (?)
The real-world word: Gram was of the names of the monstrous Fenris-wolf haunting Norse mythology
The Ardalambe word: Doriathrin gram means 'wolf'
Additional information: none

The words: varya- · verge, verje
Languages: Quenya · Norwegian
Recorded by: Helge Kåre Fauskanger (?)
The real-world word: Norwegian verge and verje means 'protect'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya varya- means 'protect'
Additional information: none

The words: pilin · pil
Languages: Quenya · Scandinavian
Recorded by: Helge Kåre Fauskanger (?)
The real-world word: Scandinavian pil means 'arrow'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya pilin means 'arrow'
Additional information: Is there language called 'Scandinavian'?

The words: mat-, medi · mat, mad
Languages: Quenya, Sindarin · Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
Recorded by: Helge Kåre Fauskanger (?)
The real-world word: Norwegian and Swedish mat means 'food'; Danish mad means 'food'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya mat- and Sindarin medi means 'eat'
Additional information: none

The words: Quendi · Kvener
Languages: Quenya · Old Norse (?)
Recorded by: Helge Kåre Fauskanger (?)
The real-world word: Kvener was an old Scandinavian name of the Finns
The Ardalambe word: Quendi was a name in Quenya for the Elves
Additional information: One of the prime influences on Tolkien's languages was Finnish

The words: nazg · nasc
Languages: The Black Speech · Gaelic
Recorded by: Helge Kåre Fauskanger (?)
The real-world word: Gaelic nasc means 'ring'
The Ardalambe word: The word nazg in the Black Speech means 'ring' (as in Nazgûl)
Additional information: s and c are the unvoiced forms of z and g, respectively

The words: anta- · antaa
Languages: Quenya · Finnish
Recorded by: Harri Perälä
The real-world word: Finnish antaa means 'give'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya
anta- means 'give'
Additional information: none

The words: et- · eteen, etu-
Languages: Quenya · Finnish
Recorded by: Harri Perälä
The real-world word: Finnish eteen means 'forward, to the front', Finnish etu- means 'front-'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya et- means 'forth, out'
Additional information: Doubled vowel in Finnish means a long vowel (like acute accent (´) in Quenya)

The words: hala · kala
Languages: Quenya · Finnish
Recorded by: Harri Perälä
The real-world word: Finnish kala means 'fish'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya hala means '(small) fish'
Additional information: none

The words: culda · kulta
Languages: Quenya · Finnish
Recorded by: Harri Perälä
The real-world word: Finnish kulta means 'gold'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya culda means 'flame-coloured, golden-red'
Additional information: none

The words: lapsë · lapsi
Languages: Quenya · Finnish
Recorded by: Harri Perälä
The real-world word: Finnish lapsi means 'child'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya lapsë means 'child'
Additional information: none

The words: nasta · nasta
Languages: Quenya · Finnish
Recorded by: Harri Perälä
The real-world word: Finnish nasta means 'thumbtack, pin'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya nasta means 'spear-head, point, gore, triangle'
Additional information: none

The words: panya- · panna
Languages: Quenya · Finnish
Recorded by: Harri Perälä
The real-world word: Finnish panna means 'put, place, set, lay'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya panya- means 'fix, set'
Additional information: none

The words: rauta · rauta
Languages: Quenya · Finnish
Recorded by: Harri Perälä
The real-world word: Finnish rauta means 'iron'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya rauta means 'copper', changed to 'metal'
Additional information: none

The words: tië · tie
Languages: Quenya · Finnish
Recorded by: Harri Perälä
The real-world word: Finnish tie means 'road, path, way'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya tië means 'path, course, line, direction, way'
Additional information: none

The words: tereva · terävä
Languages: Quenya · Finnish
Recorded by: Harri Perälä
The real-world word: Finnish terävä means 'sharp'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya tereva means 'fine, acute' (from an older form meaning 'piercing, keen')
Additional information: none

The words: tul- · tulla
Languages: Quenya · Finnish
Recorded by: Harri Perälä
The real-world word: Finnish tulla means 'come'
The Ardalambe word: Quenya tul- means 'come'
Additional information: none

Appendix: words which exist in real-world languages but in different meaning


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