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LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS AS SYMBOLS
OF POWER AND SECRECY IN
Sariyeva Dilnoza Ro’ziboy qizi
Termez Economical And Service University
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15229754
Abstract
This article examines two of J.R.R. Tolkien’s invented languages that are
associated with darkness, fear, and secrecy in The Lord of the Rings: the Black
Speech of Mordor and Khuzdul, the secret tongue of the Dwarves. It analyzes
how these “dark tongues” symbolize power, terror, secrecy, and cultural
isolation, and how they function within the narrative to delineate moral and
cultural divisions. Through a close reading of the use and reception of these
languages in the novel, this study demonstrates that Tolkien’s dark tongues are
far more than exotic additions to his world: they are integral narrative devices
that reinforce the story’s moral geography and deepen the realism of Middle-
earth’s cultures.
Keywords:
Tolkien; Black Speech; Khuzdul; constructed languages;
linguistic analysis; secrecy; Middle-earth; moral division; cultural identity.
Annotatsiya
Ushbu maqolada Uzuklar hukmdori asarida qorong‘ilik, qo‘rquv va
maxfiylik bilan bog‘liq bo‘lgan J.R.R. Tolkien tomonidan yaratilgan ikki sun’iy til
— Mordorning Qora tili va Gnomlarning maxfiy tili Xuzdul tili — o‘rganiladi.
Maqolada bu “qorong‘i tillar” qanday qilib kuch, dahshat, sir saqlash va madaniy
yakkalanish timsoliga aylanishi tahlil qilinadi hamda ular asar syujetida axloqiy
va madaniy chegaralarni belgilash vositasi sifatida qanday xizmat qilishi
ko‘rsatiladi. Ushbu tillarning romandagi ishlatilishi va ular qanday qabul
qilingani yuzasidan olib borilgan chuqur tahlil shuni ko‘rsatadiki, Tolkienning
qorong‘i tillari oddiy ekzotik qo‘shimchalar emas, balki
O‘rta yer
madaniyatlarining realizmini chuqurlashtiruvchi va syujetning axloqiy
geografiyasini mustahkamlovchi muhim badiiy vositalardir.
Kalit so‘zlar:
Tolkien; qora til; Xuzdul; sun’iy tillar; lingvistik tahlil; maxfiylik;
o‘rta yer; axloqiy tafovut; madaniy o‘zlik.
Introduction
J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium is famed for its extensive linguistic dimension.
In
The Lord of the Rings
, Tolkien integrates numerous invented languages into
the predominantly English narrative, enriching the depth and realism of Middle-
earth. These constructed languages act as deliberate markers of cultural
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“otherness,” setting certain peoples apart through their speech. Among them,
two tongues stand out for their especially dark or secretive nature: the Black
Speech of Mordor and Khuzdul, the language of the Dwarves. Each serves a
distinct narrative purpose and carries symbolic weight in terms of power and
secrecy. Tolkien’s scholarly background as a philologist (a specialist in historical
languages) informed his creation of these tongues. He famously stated that “the
invention of languages is the foundation. The ‘stories’ were made rather to
provide a world for the languages than the reverse” (Tolkien 1981), indicating
that his mythology grew out of linguistic invention. In line with this philosophy,
the Black Speech and Khuzdul are not incidental inventions but central elements
of world-building that shape the story’s moral and cultural landscape.
In Tolkien’s novel, the everyday dialogue of characters is presented as
English – a literary device that actually represents the “Common Speech”
(Westron) of Middle-earth. This pseudo-translation approach allows other
fictional languages to appear occasionally as untranslated fragments or
“barbarisms” within the text, emphasizing their foreignness. The Black Speech
and Khuzdul are two such languages that emerge at pivotal moments. The Black
Speech is the language engineered by Sauron for his dominion, and whenever it
surfaces it signals the presence of evil power and inspires dread. Khuzdul is the
ancestral language of the Dwarves, kept strictly hidden from outsiders; its rare
utterances convey the Dwarves’ fierce pride and separateness. This article
focuses on these two dark tongues, exploring how Tolkien constructed each
language and wove it into the narrative to symbolize themes of dominion, fear,
secrecy, and cultural isolation. We will examine their linguistic features, their
use by characters, and the reactions they elicit within the story, to show how
they function as narrative devices underscoring the moral divisions of Middle-
earth.
Despite this careful construction, Tolkien’s personal feelings toward the
Black Speech were largely negative. He intended it to sound unlovely and
fearsome. Indeed, he once half-jokingly remarked that a fully authentic rendition
of Black Speech would be unprintable except in the most “advanced” forms of
literature – an acknowledgment of its cacophonous, abrasive quality.
Anecdotally, Tolkien recounted that when an enthusiastic fan sent him a goblet
engraved with the Ring’s inscription (written in Black Speech), he refused to
drink from it. Considering the Black Speech inscription a “vile spell” in an
“accursed language,” Tolkien instead used the goblet as an ashtray (Carpenter
1977). This colorful anecdote underscores the visceral aversion the author
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himself had to the language he had created to epitomize evil. Within the
narrative, the Black Speech is rarely heard, and when it is, it produces an
atmosphere of immediate dread. The most famous instance occurs at the Council
of Elrond, when Gandalf recites the inscription on the One Ring aloud in the
Black Speech:
“Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul… agh burzum-ishi
krimpatul”
(“One Ring to rule them all… and in the darkness bind them”). The
effect on the council is dramatic and chilling. The text describes Gandalf’s voice
changing to a terrible, powerful register as he pronounces the words, causing all
present to tremble; the Elves in the meeting even stop their ears in anguish at
the sound of Mordor’s tongue. Elrond vehemently rebukes Gandalf for uttering
those evil words, saying that never before has any voice dared to speak the Black
Speech in Rivendell, and hoping none will do so again. This scene powerfully
demonstrates the fear and revulsion the Black Speech elicits among the Free
Peoples. To them, it is truly anathema—a forbidden language that carries the
moral taint of Sauron. No other fictional language in the novel receives such a
unanimously negative reaction.
Another major invented language that plays a critical role in Tolkien’s
narrative - albeit in a very different way - is Khuzdul, the language of the
Dwarves. Khuzdul is not associated with evil; rather, it is tied to the proud and
secretive culture of an elder race. In the mythology of Middle-earth, Khuzdul
stands apart because it did not evolve from the Elvish or Mannish (human)
language families. According to Tolkien’s lore, the Dwarven language was
devised in ancient times by the Vala Aulë (the creator of the Dwarves) and
taught to the first Dwarves. This divine origin means Khuzdul is essentially a
language isolate
in Middle-earth, unchanged by the linguistic developments of
Elves and Men. Externally, Tolkien acknowledged that he consciously crafted
Khuzdul with the flavor of real Semitic languages, especially Hebrew (Tolkien
1981; Solopova 2009). He constructed Khuzdul with a triconsonantal root
system (a structure where words are built from three-consonant roots that can
be modified with various vowels and affixes) reminiscent of Hebrew or Arabic.
This gives Khuzdul a distinctly guttural sound profile and a morphological
structure quite unlike the languages of Men (which in Middle-earth are mostly
modeled on Indo-European languages) or the Elvish tongues (which have a
Celtic or Finnic inspiration). The linguistic contrast is deliberate: Khuzdul’s deep,
resonant consonants and clipped syllables evoke a sense of antiquity, solidity,
and alienness. In Tolkien’s fictional universe, the Dwarves guard this language
jealously, considering it an intimate treasure of their people. It is said that the
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Dwarves
“were unwilling to teach outsiders Khuzdul, even to their friends.”
They
even kept their own true names (their names in Khuzdul) secret, giving
themselves public names in the Common Speech for use with non-Dwarves. This
extreme secrecy surrounding their native tongue immediately sets the Dwarves
apart as a culture that is both proud and insular. Khuzdul thus symbolizes
cultural identity and isolation: it is a language that binds the Dwarf-folk together
but simultaneously erects a barrier between them and all others.
Within
The Lord of the Rings
, very little Khuzdul is actually quoted,
underscoring how seldom the Dwarves reveal it. The few instances where
Khuzdul appears are significant moments that offer insight into Dwarvish
character. One notable example is during the Battle of Helm’s Deep, when Gimli
(the principal Dwarf of the Fellowship) exclaims a fierce battle-cry in Khuzdul:
“Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!”
– which means “Axes of the Dwarves! The
Dwarves are upon you!” Tolkien does not translate this within the narrative at
first, allowing the strange words to ring out to readers just as they would to the
other characters on the battlefield. Even without immediate translation, the cry’s
intent is clear from context and tone: it is a defiant shout of war. To the Rohirrim
allies fighting alongside Gimli (and to the reader), this Khuzdul cry sounds
archaic and alien – a foreign war-chant in the midst of battle. Its very
strangeness emphasizes the ferocity and ancient heritage of the Dwarves as
warriors. Another instance of Khuzdul occurs in Moria: the Fellowship discovers
Balin’s tomb in the Mines of Moria, and Gandalf reads out the runic inscription.
Tolkien presents the inscription’s content in English (“Balin son of Fundin, Lord
of Moria”), but notes that it was originally written in Khuzdul. Here the
Dwarvish language is associated with somber antiquity and mourning, used for a
tomb epitaph – a private record left by Dwarves for Dwarves. These examples
show that Khuzdul is employed for matters of great importance among Dwarves
(battle and death), and only indirectly do other characters learn its words.
Indeed, Gimli never casually speaks Khuzdul in front of his companions; he
conducts all normal conversation in the Common Speech. It is only
in moments of
intense emotion or ritual
(such as battle fury or grieving respect for his
ancestors) that a few Khuzdul words escape him. This pattern underscores the
Dwarves’ discipline and reverence toward their language.
The secrecy of Khuzdul has narrative consequences that highlight cultural
divisions. Other races in Middle-earth generally know almost nothing of
Khuzdul. For example, the Elves—neighbors and occasional allies of the
Dwarves—do not understand Khuzdul phrases when they hear them. Legolas,
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the Elf in the Fellowship, shows no comprehension when Gimli shouts his war-
cry. When the Fellowship stands before the Doors of Durin at the entrance to
Moria, there is an ironic reversal of expectation: the door is inscribed with an
Elvish phrase (“Ennyn Durin aran Moria: pedo mellon a minno” – “Doors of
Durin, Lord of Moria: speak, friend, and enter”) written in Elven script, set up by
the Elves of Hollin as a greeting. The password to open the doors is the Sindarin
Elvish word
“mellon,”
meaning “friend.” Gimli is notably surprised that even at
the gates of a Dwarven kingdom, it is an Elvish word, not Khuzdul, that is used
openly. Gandalf comments that he once knew all the spells in languages of Elves,
Men, and Orcs for such purposes— pointedly omitting Dwarvish. This is because
the Dwarves
would never use their own secret language for a public inscription or
magical command
that outsiders might learn. Such moments in the story quietly
emphasize how Khuzdul remains hidden behind the scenes. Even when
circumstances might invite the use of the Dwarves’ native tongue, they prefer
another language (usually the Common Speech, or in ancient days possibly
Elvish for cooperation with Elven-smiths) rather than reveal Khuzdul. In
Lothlórien, when Gimli is moved by the beauty of that realm and sings a
spontaneous chant about Durin, significantly he recites it in the Common Tongue
so that his companions can understand—he does not break into Khuzdul, even
in a moment of reverence. All these examples reinforce that Khuzdul functions
almost like a guarded ritual language, reserved for Dwarves alone.
CONCLUSION
Tolkien’s use of the Black Speech and Khuzdul in
The Lord of the Rings
demonstrates how invented languages can operate as potent symbols and
narrative tools. Though very different in origin and moral alignment, both
languages help define the boundaries of Middle-earth’s world.
Crucially, Tolkien’s dark tongues are not merely decorative flourishes; they
are woven into the plot and atmosphere in meaningful ways. The chilling effect
of Gandalf’s recitation in Black Speech at the Council of Elrond, for example, is a
turning point that unites the Council against Sauron. Similarly, the echo of
Khuzdul in Gimli’s battle-cry adds a distinctive heroic color to the Battle of
Helm’s Deep and reminds readers of the Dwarves’ ancient valor. In crafting
these episodes, Tolkien shows that language itself can be a form of
characterization and world-building. The languages emdiv the spirit of their
speakers—Sauron’s cruelty and will to dominate are “written” into the Black
Speech, just as the Dwarves’ resilience and secretiveness are encoded in
Khuzdul. Moreover, the existence of these difficult, alien languages within the
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narrative adds to the illusion of depth that Tolkien sought for Middle-earth. In
conclusion, Tolkien’s treatment of these two “dark tongues” exemplifies his
ability to leverage constructed language as a narrative instrument. Through fear
or through secrecy, the Black Speech of Mordor and the hidden speech of
Khazad-dûm both contribute vitally to the mythic reality of
The Lord of the Rings
,
underscoring that in Tolkien’s world, language itself can be a bearer of power,
heritage, and profound meaning.
References:
1.
Carpenter, H. (1977). J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography. London: Allen & Unwin.
2.
Johannesson, N.-L. (2005). “Phonetic Symbolism in Tolkien’s Elvish and
Black Speech.” Linguistics and Literature, 3(2), 45–57.
3.
Meile, M.G. (2015). “Sauron’s Newspeak: Constructed Language and
Control in Mordor.” Journal of Tolkien Studies, 7(2), 77–89.
4.
Solopova, E. (2009). Languages, Myths and History: An Introduction to the
Linguistic and Literary Background of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fiction. New York: North
Landing Books.
5.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1954–1955). The Lord of the Rings. London: George Allen &
Unwin. (References to Appendix F and text for linguistic context).
6.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1981). The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, ed. Humphrey
Carpenter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. (Letter discussing the invention of
languages and the lore of Black Speech and Khuzdul).
