The Black Speech inscribed on the One Ring.
The Black Speech is one of the languages of Arda. The Black Speech was primarily spoken in Mordor, as it was created by Sauron with the intention of having it replace all languages his servants in Mordor used, as well as having it replace the different varieties or Orkish. There are two forms of the Black Speech: the "pure" form used by Sauron, his Nazgûl and the Olog-hai, as well as a "debased" form used by most of Sauron's servants.
Sauron was only partially successful in his attempts to have the Black Speech replace all other languages in Mordor (and eventually Middle-earth, had he been successful in conquering it). While most of Sauron's higher ranking servants (including his lieutenants) and the Uruk-hai learned the Black Speech, most Uruks were not able or willing to learn the language, nor did the groups of Men in regions Sauron had conquered. As Uruk often corrupted and debased languages they spoke, the Black Speech heavily influenced their vocabulary and grammar, but it quickly mutated into various Uruk dialects. Elves refuse to use the Black Speech, as it draws Sauron's attention.
Black Speech glossary
- agh - and
- akha - here
- [verb]ân - past tense (ex : onguk nakhân - "your end has come")
- anakh - emerge (v.)
- apakur - follow (v.)
- argu - others (n.)
- armu - gift (n.)
- ash - one
- [verb]ash - 3rdp singular (ex : kutmu nakhash = "war comes")
- ashi - only
- [verb]at - to [infinitive verb] (ex : durbat = "to rule" in durbatulûk)
- azgu - bone
- bad - beat (v.)
- bagronk - cesspool (v.)
- bagu - stone (n.)
- bard - doomed
- bûbhosh - great
- bug - auxillary verb (v.) (ex : bugash obzidân = "be forgotten")
- burz - dark (adj.)
- burzum - darkness (n.)
- busht - embarass (v.)
- buzb - maggot / worm (n.)
- dagh - land
- daghburz - mordor
- dar - lie / stay (v.)
- darz - iron
- Darzbandu - Angmar
- darz-ghûrum - "iron-height" fortress
- dash - earth
- dûg - someone lacking competence / filth
- durb - rule / command (v.)
- durbag-ghâr - bright-lord
- durbagu - lord (n.)
- gan - again
- garz - have (v.)
- ghar - other (adj.)
- ghâr - bright (adj.)
- ghâsh - fire (n.) / burn (v.)
- ghâshgôr - "fire-heart" fortress
- ghûl - night-crawler (n.)
- ghûr - tall
- ghuramu - sacrifice
- ghûrum - height (n.)
- gimb - find (v.)
- gir - bury (v.)
- glizd - dust
- glob - fool
- goi - two
- golug - elven / elf
- gôr - heart
- grakh - devour (v.)
- [verb]gu - agentive sufix (ex : badgu = "beater" / "whip")
- gû - no
- gûb - pig / swine (n.)
- gûl - wraith
- gulshu - the Shadows
- gûm - void
- gundum - halls (n.)
- gur - death
- gurkar - bane / slayer (n.)
- guru - die (v.)
- gurun - mortal
- hai - people
- hiz - want / will (v.)
- hu[...] - near demonstrative pronoun (ex : humi = "this time" / "now")
- [verb]ik - 2ndp (ex : girân bugizik = "you will be burried")
- [verb]im - 1stp plural (ex : apakurim = "we follow")
- [verb]in - 1stp singular (ex : armu-nu garzin = "I have a gift")
- [...]-ishi - in [...]
- [verb]iz - future tense (ex : guriz = "will die")
- kalparinkar - celebrimbor
- kar - make (feel) (v.)
- kay - wake (v.)
- kelk - cold (adj.)
- kelkum - cold-ness (n.)
- khargu - ice
- khargukôr - "ice-fist" fortress
- khot - army (n.)
- khur - make (v.)
- kîbum - life-ness (n.)
- kilmi - sky (n.)
- kilu - men (n.)
- kiri - life
- kiyu - 2ndp dative form "to / for you"
- ko[...] - far demonstrative pronoun (ex : ko-mi = "that time" / "when")
- kôr - fist
- krimp - bind (v.)
- kû - old
- kutmu - war
- kuzd - dwarf (n. & adj.)
- lakh - rise (v.)
- lug - tower
- lugburz - barad-dûr
- mak - feel / touch (v).
- makha - where
- marna - flesh (n.)
- mat - eat (v.)
- mi - time
- mor - friend (n.)
- mûb - fool
- na - be (v.)
- nakh - come (v.)
- nazg - ring (n.)
- nazgûl - ringwraith (nazg + gûl)
- [...]nu - accusative sufix (ex : umbrunu-hu grakhin = "I devour this world")
- nub - smell (v.)
- [...]-nudu - under [...]
- nugu - nine
- ob - of (partative (ex : ash ob shre = "one of three"))
- obzid - forget (v.)
- oghor - drû
- olog - troll (in "olog-hai")
- olog-graug - giant troll
- ombi - seven
- ong - end (v. & n.)
- pak - agree (v.)
- pashk - vermin / rat (n.)
- push - dung
- rakh - save (v.)
- ranu - kings (n.)
- ro[...] - negative prefix (ex : mor ronam = "we are not friends")
- rogurrun - imperishable / immortal (adj.)
- shar - person
- sharkh - claw (n.)
- sharkhburz - "dark-claw" fortress
- shar-kû - old-man / saruman
- shirku - blood
- shrakh - excrement
- shre - three
- [...]shu - of (genative sufix (ex : durbgu nazgshu = "lord of the rings"))
- skai - interjection of contempt
- snaga - slave
- srag - everything
- tag - stand (v.)
- tark - man of numenorean decent
- thrak - bring (v.)
- [...]u - to (dative sufix (ex : golugu = "for elves" / "to elves"))
- [...]uk - your (ex : umbruk = "your world")
- [...]ûk - all [...] (complete sufix (ex : durbatulûk = "to rule them all")
- [verb]ul - 3rdp plural object (ex : gimbatul = "to find them")
- [...]um - [...]ness / the [...] (abstract suffix(ex : burzum = "darkness")
- umbru - world
- ungol - spider
- ur[...] - honnorific prefix
- ûru - sun
- uruk - orcs (in "uruk-hai")
- urush - flame
- ya - relative pronoun ("that" / "which" / "who")
- yam - language (n.)
- yamburz - black-speech
- za - I
- zad - fall (v.)
- zant - bridge
- zid - know (v.)
- zigur - Sauron
- zil - light
Black Speech original texts
The Rings of Power
Shre nazg golugranu kilmi-nudu,
Ombi kuzd-durbagu gundum-ishi,
Nugu gurunkilu bard gurutu,
Ash burz-durbagu burzum-ishi,
Daghburz-ishi makha gulshu darulu.
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,
Ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
Daghburz-ishi makha gulshu darulu.
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
The Ritual
Ghurarmu shirkush' agh azgushu.
Zant ya apakurizak.
Gûl-n' anakhizak.
A sacrifice of blood and bone.
A bridge for you to follow.
You will emerge a shadow.
