Drúadan

Drúadan was the name of the Mannish "tongue of the Drúedain"The History of Middle-earth, The War of the Jewels, Part Four. "Quendi and Eldar: Appendix C. Elvish names for the Orcs", pg. 391 in Middle-earth.Parma Eldalamberon XVII, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", pg. 99 (entries Drúadan: gorgûn and Drúadan: Ghân buri Ghân)
Drúedainic has been commonly used by many scholars and fans to refer to Drúadan.Helge Fauskanger, "Various Mannish Tongues - the sadness of Mortal Men?" on "Ardalambion.net"Andreas Moehn, "Etymologies of the Atani Languages" on the Middle-earth Science PagesRobert B. Wilson, "Drúedainic (152.39)", Elfling mailing list
==Origins==
Drúadan was a unique language long descended from the ancient tongues of Men, originating in the First Age. As years progressed, the language became known for belonging to the southern Mannish branch that included the languages of the Men of Bree, Men of the Mountains, and the Dunlendings.The Atlas of Middle-earth, pg. 190
Because retained their independence and rarely interbreed with others, none of the Drúedain's words ever entered into the Common Speech, and so retained its uniqueness.
==Characteristics==
Not much is known of Drúadan, as the language was alien those who spoke other languages as it was unrelated to Westron, which many languages were related to.The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of Men", pg. 1129 According to Meriadoc Brandybuck, the words sounded strange and throaty,The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Ride of the Rohirrim", pg. 834 though it is unknown if this was just a dialectal variant of the Drúedain of the Drúadan Forest. It is more likely unique to the language as a whole since the voices of the Drúedain were said to be "deep and guttural".Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, "The Drúedain" It is possible that gorgûn derived from one of the Elvish words for Orcs.
==In adaptations==
===Middle-earth Role Playing===
In the second edition of the main Middle-earth Role Playing supplement, Drúadan is referred to by the name Pûkael, and the language is "ideally suited to their voices and... alien to that of other Men".Middle-earth Role Playing (second edition), pg. 175 It is almost impossible for non-native speakers to pronounce words in Pûkael, though it is further hindered because the Drúedain are often unwilling to allow others to learn Pûkael.Middle-earth Role Playing, Northwestern Middle-earth Gazetteer, pg. 27
==References==
ru:Друаданский язык
Category:Mannish Languages