Tolkien Forums

If I were to guess at this one I would definitely say that the base language that was created by Tolkien gave a deep impression to most readers of the inflections used by each race. But at this point readers were mainly speculating, of course. It could also be said that most people assumed the dialect of Dwarves was rough in nature since Dwarves were a Brawny Folk and hard-working with hammers in the mines, etc. It was even a joke that Dwarven women had beards. How tough would a race be to have that much male hormone running through both sexes?

We've learned that the Dwarven race was hearty and we, as readers, can easily conjure images of rock, stone and mountains when we are thinking of them. That right there is enough for someone to gather how one of them might speak. After that the only logical thing for one to do is to reference something that we do know and a Scottish accent carries that rumbly, rough-and-tumble quality that one can easily fit behind the words spoken by these characters on the page. For all we know they may have had voices that were finer than the elves! To that I offer this small challenge. Try to say the Dwarven cry of "Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!" But utter it in your normal voice or even as an Elf would with all the elegance you can muster. I think you'll find that the arrangement of letters doesn't really allow the aire of sophistication. It is harsh and in my mind reads blockish and haltingly. I think we as readers have conjured up this manifestation of the dwarf thanks to Tolkien's description of their nature, their background, their daily functioning as well as the contrast provided by the other races in the books. I think each race is very distinct and strong as far as personalities go. Like we humans on the outside of that world of Arda so do our backgrounds come through in our normal speech whether it be written or spoken.