Shamukh! Yeah, it's me again.. I hope I haven't exhausted the permissible audacity of curiosity yet... I would like to add a donation, but PayPal doesn't work in my country :(
So, the question, or rather, about the question. I hope it will be very interesting not only to me. Due to stress, I decided to delve into the study of Tolkien's languages (brain activity relaxes me), and although I had previously ignored everything except Khuzdul, I decided to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. And it was worth it! As I understand it, Valarin is the oldest language of Arda, and Khuzdul is essentially the second oldest language, as it was created by Mahal. This means that... there must be something similar in their words, right? And even though Neo-Khuzdul is not exactly Tolkien's Khuzdul, I found a lot of similarities with the minimum I could find in Valarin! For your convenience, here's what I found:
Fire: Uruš/rušur(V.) - shamalʹ urs(K.) or arsur(K.)
Light: ithīr(V.) - ilkhid(K.)
Water: ulu/ullu(V.) - uslun(K.)
(Some words in Neo-Khuzdul of course have a slightly different meaning, but I decided to still take into account that I was looking for SIMILARITIES in the words. Plus, I took into account the fact that Khuzdul and Valarin are, after all, different languages)
And finally, the question: did Valarin really influence Neo-Khuzdul? Or am I just a conspiracy theorist, and it's all just a coincidence..?
Well met again!
Thank you for that question, it’s an interesting one. Short answer: Based on what we know, no, Valarin did not directly influence Khuzdul, and what you are seeing here is coincidence rather than connection.
To take a step back, Tolkien presents these languages as fundamentally separate in origin.
Valarin is unrelated to the other languages of Middle-earth, as it arose outside of Arda. Very little is known of it beyond a small number of words, mainly proper names, and it is notably characterised by long, complex forms. A well-known example is the Valarin name of Telperion: Ibrīniðilpathānezel.
Khuzdul, on the other hand, was created by Mahal (Aulë) specifically for the Dwarves, and Tolkien explicitly modelled it on Semitic languages in its structure. Its vocabulary, morphology, and internal logic follow a completely different system.
Because of that, we do not expect systematic overlap between the two.
Looking at your examples more closely:
• “light” — in Neo-Khuzdul, the noun is ulkhud. The form ilkhid is not “light” as a noun, but an imperative, as in “light (the fire)!” It uses completely different consonants to ithīr, so this is not a lexical match at all.
• “water” — uslun does not mean “water” though, but “waterfall,” and is not related to ulu / ullu.
• “fire” — this is the only case where there is some real resemblance and possible connection (rušur / uruš and 'urs). Forms like arsur are derived or contained forms (relating to heat or contained fire), and shamal means “ground,” so there is no real correspondence there.
What is happening here is a very common pattern: comparing short words and looking for similarities, even when the underlying systems are unrelated. Once you look at the full meanings, forms, and derivations, the apparent links almost all disappear.
In real linguistic terms, you would need consistent sound correspondences across a wide range of vocabulary, not isolated similarities in a handful of words.
Stunning art by Šárka Škorpíková "Manwe and Varda" That said, there are a few interesting observations one might make, as long as we remain cautious. Valarin has sometimes been noted to resemble ancient languages such as Babylonian in its general “feel,” particularly in its long, complex word forms and possible patterns. Similarly, the Valarin word ayanûz (“Ainur”) contains a final element -ûz, which could be interpreted as a kind of plural or collective marker, not unlike plural endings seen in various Semitic languages (for instance -ân in Neo-Khuzdul).
One might even be reminded of terms such as the Sumerian Anunnaki, often translated as “[offspring] of An,” referring to a group of divine or semi-divine beings. The resemblance between ayanûz and Anunnaki is interesting at a glance.
However, and this is important, these comparisons remain speculative. Tolkien never confirmed any such connections, and drawing direct links would be no different from the kind of pattern-matching discussed earlier.
More likely, Tolkien simply aimed to create a language with a very distinct and unusual character, fitting for beings such as the Valar.
As for Khuzdul, its Semitic-style structure is explicit, but that does not imply any shared vocabulary with Valarin. At most, if there is any parallel at all, it would be at the level of general linguistic “style,” not direct influence.
So in short: no direct connection, and the similarities you are seeing are coincidental rather than meaningful.
Ever at your service, The Dwarrow Scholar
