Introduction

I. The Uruk-hai and the Black Speech

would not have wanted to encourage the use of the first person singular or plural among his servants or slaves, so I or we are only used as modifiers. This probably explains the placement of adjectives, adverbs, etc., after the words they modify since descriptive words can be said to indicate a kind of creative thought process. In most cases, then, pronouns are attached to the verb: Shelob calls them Shelob bugdat-taz orcs slur all together may say Shelob bugdataz. The elves kill him Golug azut-ta in spoken orcish: Golug azuta. In the past tense, the elves killed him Golug azuzuta in future tense: the elves will kill him Golug azubuta. The first person singular (-izg) and plural (-izgu) are always suffixed to the verb. For example, kul-izg (I am), kul-izgu (we are) thrak-izg (I bring), prakh-izgu (we lure). Normally, you can skip pronouns unless they are required to make sense of the sentence. For example: Saruman rules us Saruman durbat-izishu, but if you want to say he rules us Durbat-izishu (you dont need the he), he brings the orc to us Thrakat urk-izish. Note: the long at the end. Since the preposition -u is added to izishu in order to say, to us, the final u has to become a long . This would be correct BS, but naturally orcs would probably not bother with this kind of fine distinction.

1.10.1. Personal and Possessive Pronouns

-izg -lat -ta -izgu -latu -ulu we you (pl.) they I you (sing.) he, she, it -izish me -ta him, it -to her -izishu us -ul them -izub -lab -tab -tob -izubu -latub -ulub mine your (sing.) his, its hers ours yours (pl.) theirs

1.10.2. Exercise
Translate the following into BS: I brought hers. Morgoth will kill me. I brought mine to Morannon. Uglk will rule ours by blood (blood = grish). Lagduf called them all from Lugbrz.12 Grishnkh will find us. Saruman called his ugly orc. They devoured theirs.10 I am from Lugbrz.11 Ashlk bound me.

1.10.3. Commands
Commands are simple: they consist of the verb stem. So, to tell someone to bring something, you simply say: Thrak! To say Find him theirs: Gimb ta ulub. Bring them! Thrakul!

The word Uruk comes from the Black Speech (BS) and was used to describe the great soldier Orcs of Mordor and Isengard at the end of the Third Age of Middle-earth. The lesser orcs were called snaga or slave in the Black Tongue. The Orcs were first bred by the Dark Power of the North in the Elder days. It is said that they had no language of their own, but took what they could of other tongues and perverted it to their own liking; yet they made only brutal jargons, scarcely sufficient even for their own needs, unless it were for curses and abuse. The orcs being filled with malice, hating even their own kind, quickly developing as many barbarous dialects as they were groups and settlements of their race, so that their tongue, the Orkish Speech, was of little use to them in intercourse between tribes. The diversity and mutability of the Orkish tongues was of course an obstacle for the Dark Lord using Orcs as his iron fist to subdue the West. So for the purpose of efficient administration, Sauron took the time to devise the BS for the purpose of controlling his servants and vast armies. It is said that the BS was devised by Sauron in the Dark Years, and that he had desired to make it the language of all those that served him. Some say that he failed in that purpose, but we disagree with that assessment. If Sauron had regained the One Ring and been victorious in the War of the Ring, then the BS would have become the Common Tongue of Middle-earth, much as the Westron or Mannish Speech was at the time of the end of the Third Age. Sauron was only just beginning to reassert his power in the world. The assertion that he failed in his attempt to make the BS universal among his servants, comes from those outside the Black Gate of Mordor. Within the borders of the Land of Shadow, the BS was the chosen form of communication between the many armies and minions of the Dark Lord. After the overthrow of Sauron in the Second Age, this language in its ancient form was forgotten by all but the Nazgl. When Sauron arose again, it became once more the language of Barad-dr and of the captains of Mordor. The Inscription on the Ring was in the ancient BS, while the curses of the Mordor-orc in the Third Age were in the more debased form used by the soldiers of the Dark Tower. The BS flourished at the time of the fall of Mordor and was used as the common tongue among the many tribes and clans of Uruk-hai that populated the Plain of Gorgoroth; from Udn to Cirith Ungol to Barad-dr. Without the BS, it would have been impossible to have ordered the movements of such large forces in his war against the West. Sauron above all others, understood the value of order amid chaos, and so wanted to rule all of Middle-earth under the iron fist of the orc, ruled by the will of the Dark Lord. What happened to the BS after the fall of Sauron? In ever more debased forms, it may have lingered for a while among some of his former subjects. It is said the Black Uruk-hai of Barad-dr still thrive in the Ash Mountains amid the ruin of the Dark Tower and are like a Shadow of Fear in that part of the world. Even today, it's not wholly dead, for those who carry on the knowledge of the BS of Mordor, keep it alive and give homage to the Shadow of Middle-earth.

1.10.4. Exercise
Translate the following into BS: Bring me the ring. Find the three stupid trolls. Find my twenty-eight orcs. Lure him to Mordor Devour the forty-two elves. Lure them to us.13 Give her the worthless orc. Call me. Kill them. Gather my old orcs in Isengard.

II. The Inscription on the One Ring

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The inscription on the One Ring was in the ancient BS. The Ring was born out of a plan Sauron devised to enslave the peoples of Middle-earth. He took on the form of a wise adviser, under the name Annatar, and offered great knowledge to the Elves. Many rejected him, but Celebrimbor and the Elves of Eregion accepted his offer, and he schooled them in the making of Rings of Power. At last, Annatar and the Elves made sixteen jewelled Rings that would in time become the Seven Rings of the Dwarves and the Nine Rings of Men. Returning to the Land of Mordor, to the forges of Sammath Naur in the heart of Mount Doom, he began the secret making of another Ring. He filled it with his own power, malice

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Note: if you do this correctly, you should end up with one long word. Remember: attach the first person suffix to the verb to be! Remember: attach the word for all" to the pronoun them! 13 Note: this one is tricky, so heres the answer: Prakh ishuzu-u, or Prakh ishuz.

gimb gimb gimb-at gimb gimb gimb-ut

I find you (sing) find he, she, it finds we find you (pl.) find they find

thrak thrak thrak-at thrak thrak thrak-ut

I bring you (sing) bring he, she, it brings we bring you (pl.) bring they bring

1.5. Lesson V. Verbs: Future tense

Future tenses are formed by adding the suffix -ub to the verb stem. In third person singular and plural, add the verb ending after -ub. For example: gimb-ub I will find gimb-ub we will find gimb-ub you will find gimb-ub you (pl.) will find gimb-ub-at he-she-it will find gimb-ub-ut they will find

1.3.1. Vocabulary 1.5.1. Vocabulary

durbat prakhat to rule to lure dulgat fulgat gashnat globat gund to point to dwell to speak, to command to fool (someone) to stand

Some new verbs: azat to kill bugdat dmpat to doom srinkhat fauthat to hide, to lie hidden

to call to gather

1.3.2. Exercise 1.5.2. Exercise

Translate the following sentences into BS: they bind it brings they gather I-find she devours2 we bring you(sing.)doom he-calls we kill

Translate the following: he rules we find you (pl.) bind I devour you (pl.) gather I lure I hide it kills it hides I call

she devours you (sing.) lure they hide they rule they devour

1.4. Lesson IV. Noun plural

1.4.1. There are only three simple rules for pluralizing nouns.

The men will gather The warriors will stand I will call You (sing.) will devour You (pl.) will speak The trolls will speak I will speak Saruman will bring

The beasts will find The Urk-people will lure You (sing.) will bind They will stand They will fool the elves will kill the elf will stand the trolls will find

The troll will rule The Nazgl (sing.) will bring The elves will rule I will dwell she will point the Nazgl (pl.) will point the beasts will dwell the Urk (pl.) will devour

Names for races or people are never pluralized. For example, the word Nazgl is both singular and plural. The word Uruk is both singular and plural. If you wanted to say bring the three uruk, you would simply say Thrak Uruk gakh. If you are talking about an entire race of people, use the suffix hai, which means peoples, folk. So uruk-hai means the uruk-people, olog-hai means the troll-people, and so on. Note: because words like snaga (slave), durub (ruler), and sharlob (human female) refer to people, you would not pluralize them. So snaga is singular and plural. Nouns ending in consonants form plural by adding the short u: Nazg, (ring) is singular, but nazgu is plural. Nouns ending in vowels form plural by adding z: The word goi (city) becomes goiz (cities). There are very few BS nouns that end in a vowel. Singular brz dushrz globrz gorrz gothrz, hurrz, matrz, mokrz, skrithrz, ulkrz,

1.6. Lesson VI. Adjectives and Word Order4

Adjectives are fairly simple: they do not take the gender of the noun they modify; they are the same for male, female, or neutral nouns, but they do agree with the noun in number. Plural nouns take plural adjectives. If the noun is plural; add the correct ending to the adjective (-u for nouns end in a consonant, -z for nouns ending in a vowel). Note: even though you know that words for people or races don't take a plural, the adjectives modifying them do take a plural. For example, urk mokrz (the hateful urk) becomes urk mokrzu (the hateful urk, in plural). This is done for clarity it is easier to understand the number of the noun, if someone uses a plural adjective to describe that individual. In BS, many adjectives take the ending -rz, especially these formed from nouns or verbs: Plural dark, (burzum darkness) magical foolish or filthy tough powerful brave, (hr courage) mortal, (mat to die) hateful, (mokum hatred) mean, cruel evil (adj.), (ulkum evil (n.) brzu dushrzu globrzu gorrzu gothrzu hurrzu matrzu mokrzu skrithrzu ulkrzu

1.4.2. Exercise

Pluralize the following nouns: goi (city) mau (warrior)3 mokum (hatred) shark (old man) duf (knife)

lug (tower) hont (hand) ronk (pit) shara (human man) krimp (rope)

golug (elf) goth (lord)2 horn (beast) olog (troll) ufum (fear)

Note: the verb stem throqu- ends in u, so you will have to add another u to form the future tense: throqu (I devour), throquub (I will devour). In many European languages, it is customary to add a u after the q to indicate the kw sound. In Middle Earth, of course, Black Speech would be written in Tengwar or Runes, not in English letters, so the extra u would not be an issue. In other words, the fact that you happen to have two u together here doesn't mean you should pronounce them as a long . 3 Note: words for people, like warrior or goth, do not take a plural.

Note: these lessons are a little more challenging than the previous ones.