This material is mostly based on Ardalambion's analysis.
Dwarvish is a difficult language to study – not least because we have very little information about it. Don't expect to be conversing fluently in Dwarvish. Tolkien simply didn't leave enough information about the language.
Tolkien explained that the Dwarves kept their own language private , and learned the languages of neighboring folk when dealing with non-Dwarves. Even the names we know for Dwarves – Gimli, Thorin, Balin, etc. – are not those Dwarves “true,” private, Dwarvish names, but rather “public” names, mostly in the Human style. (The one exception seems to be the Petty Dwarves in the Silmarillion, or perhaps only Mîm the Petty-Dwarf – if “Mîm” is in fact his private name. Azaghâl (Silmarillion, Chapter20) and Gamil Zirak (Unfinished Tales) could be descriptive nicknames, rather than true private names.)
Dwarvish is a difficult language to study – not least because we have very little information about it. Don't expect to be conversing fluently in Dwarvish. Tolkien simply didn't leave enough information about the language.
Tolkien explained that the Dwarves kept their own language private , and learned the languages of neighboring folk when dealing with non-Dwarves. Even the names we know for Dwarves – Gimli, Thorin, Balin, etc. – are not those Dwarves “true,” private, Dwarvish names, but rather “public” names, mostly in the Human style. (The one exception seems to be the Petty Dwarves in the Silmarillion, or perhaps only Mîm the Petty-Dwarf – if “Mîm” is in fact his private name. Azaghâl (Silmarillion, Chapter20) and Gamil Zirak (Unfinished Tales) could be descriptive nicknames, rather than true private names.)
We do know a number of Dwarvish place names. Most of what is
known about the Dwarvish language comes from place names. We
also have one war cry: Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!
"Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!", and the
inscription on Balin's tomb: Balin Fundinul uzbad
Khazaddûmu, "Balin son of Fundin, Lord of Moria."
‹«◊»›
The two original Dwarf cities in the Blue Mountains were named
Tumunzahar (translated into Sindarin Elvish as “Nogrod”)
and Gabilgathol (translated into Sindarin Elvish as
“Belegost,” Great Fortress). We do not know the
Dwarvish names for the cities at the Lonely Mountain or the Iron
Hills. “Erebor” is Sindarin Elvish (for “Lonely
Mountain”); I can't imagine Thorin's Dwarves using the Elvish name
“Erebor” for their home.
‹«◊»›
Internal History
The Vala Aulë, creator of the
Dwarves, invented a language for them, and taught this language to
the first Dwarves. The Dwarvish language changed only slowly
with time. Tolkien stated that, even in the Third Age, Dwarves
from any part of Middle-Earth could easily understand each other's
spoken language.
Dwarves found the first Humans; the
early Human language was influenced by Khuzdul, as well as by the
languages of Elves who did not relocate to Aman. The Human
language of Númenor (Adûnaic) has strong similarities to Khuzdul.
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