laringë

Laringë is a fictional language created by J.R.R. Tolkien for his Middle-earth legendarium, particularly featured in *The Silmarillion* and other works of his legendarium. It is one of the earliest languages spoken by the Ainur, the divine beings who later became the Valar and Maiar, and was later adopted by the Elves upon their awakening in the Blessed Realm of Valinor.

The name "Laringë" derives from the Quenya word *Lárië*, meaning "song" or "melody," reflecting its association with celestial harmony. Tolkien described it as a language of great beauty and purity, closely tied to the music of the Ainur. It was the first language spoken by the Elves before they developed their own distinct tongues, such as Quenya and Sindarin. Some scholars suggest that Laringë may have been a form of speech used by the Ainur before their descent into Arda, the world of Middle-earth.

Laringë is not fully reconstructed in Tolkien’s writings, as it was primarily a conceptual language rather than one with a developed grammar or vocabulary. Its influence is most evident in the early speech of the Elves, particularly in the *Ainulindalë*, where the Ainur sing the Music of the Ainur, a primordial act of creation. Tolkien occasionally referenced it in passing, noting that it was a language of divine origin, akin to the "music of the spheres" in medieval cosmology.

While Laringë itself does not appear in Tolkien’s published works beyond brief mentions, its legacy is felt in the linguistic themes of his legendarium, emphasizing the connection between language, music, and the divine. Some fans and linguists have attempted speculative reconstructions of the language, drawing parallels to Tolkien’s other Elvish tongues, though these remain uncanonical.