Reading this very interesting discussion on the secret language of the Dwarves, I would like to add my opinion too with the help of my humble collection of Tolkien’s books.

In this essay I would like to say something about the creation of the Dwarves and their language by Aüle, their unwillingness to teach their language to other creatures and the very interesting relation they had not only with the Noldor but also with Men.

As we all probably know by now, Aüle, the smith and master of crafts, was eager to teach his knowledge to somebody and could not wait until Ilúvatar would wake up the Children. He therefore created the Dwarves, tough and strong creatures who could resist the power of Morgoth and his creatures.

He had just begun “to instruct the Dwarves in the speech that he had devised for them”(Silm: p. 37) that Ilúvatar found out and put them to sleep again. The Seven Dwarf-fathers could talk by now because they “begged for mercy”(Silm: p. 38) when Aüle raised his hammer to squash them.

It is not known whether the Dwarves after waking up again, continued to learn their speech from Aüle, although I doubt it because by now, the Elves had woken up and Aüle had finished reshaping ME and dwelt in Valinor. The Seven Dwarf-fathers woke up each in different parts of ME, two houses under Ered Luin (probably founders of Belegost and Nogrod) one under the Hithaeglir or Mount Gundabad (Durin of the Longbeards) and four others further east of ME.

Even though they lived far apart, they could still understand each other because their language, which in one beginning Aüle had taught them and later “in use they have made it harsh and intricate” (PoME: p. 296) is slow to change. Later on they used Khuzdul only as language of lore and preserved it as part of their heritage.

According to PoME, the Dwarf-folk adopted other languages for their daily use because they had many dealings with other races. Their language for daily use became the Common speech, but spoken with a very strong dwarvish accent, which they had learned phonetically. The use of the Common Speech came with its Fëanorian script included. But for their daily use they had adopted Daeron’s Cirth, the script they had learned during their stay in Menegroth in Doriath. This change caused a remarkable change in its orthography due to the phonetic learning of the Common Speech by the Dwarves.

Although the Dwarf-houses did not enjoy to teach their ‘secret’ language to other races, we know at least of one fortunate House that had this privilege. This was the House of Hador, the second race of Men that reached Beleriand. This House met the Dwarfs of the House of the Longbeards in the Misty Mountains before they reached Eriador. They dedicated themselves to agriculture and the taming of horses and other animals and Dwarves were benefited by trading industrial products with them, as they “ever demanded a price for all that they did”(Silm: p. 101). “The Longbeards adopted the speech of Men for communication with them. They were not unwilling to teach their own tongue to Men with whom they had special friendship, but Men found it difficult and were slow to learn more than isolated words, many of which they adapted and took into their own language.”(PoME: p.304)

The House of Hador introduced numerous Khuzdul words into its language although it did not change as much as for example the language of the House of Bëor, who learning from a Dark Elf, probably Nuin, Father of Speech (LT1: 269), introduced many Quendian words in its language and was therefore more able to communicate with an Noldor Elf Lord like Finrod.

The House of Hador learned Khuzdul from the Dwarves but these “did not reveal their Dwarvish names to members of other races for reasons Elves nor Men understood, so Dwarves adopted Mannish names in their daily speech with Men”.(PoME: 304)

There are many more things to say about this peculiar race, like for example why the shunned the Noldor in the beginning, but I would like to conclude my essay here saying that though Aüle taught the Naugrim a language he had devised for them, they introduced many changes to make it very difficult to learn by other races. Even though they did not like teaching their language, they did not completely deny others the possibility to learn it, for example the House of Hador. But as they were Dwarves, they always wanted something in return.