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Originally Posted by Galin
Since the language has been mentioned... the matter of the speech of Mirkwood seems a bit knotty...
A) In a 'late' text published in Unfinished Tales it was said Oropher (father of Thranduil father of Legolas) and some Sindar merged with the Silvan Elves 'adopting their language'.
B) In another late text (same book) it was said that by the end of the Third Age the Silvan tongues had probably ceased to be spoken in Lórien and the Realm of Thranduil.
3) According to another passage ('late' again) Sindarin was said to be used in Thranduil's house -- thus used by his son Legolas one would expect -- 'though not by all his folk.'
§) And in a letter dated Dec. 1972 (another late example!) Tolkien explained that: 'The Silvan Elves of Thranduil's realm did not speak S. but a related language or dialect.'
This last mention is pretty late, but anyway Tolkien himself published (Appendix F) that in Lórien (at least) at this period Sindarin was spoken, though with an 'accent', since most of its folk were of Silvan origin. So we can say this much, I guess.
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Well, Legolas and the Galadhrim spoke the Silvan tongue to one another when the Fellowship entered Lórien.
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Frodo could understand little of what was said, for the speech that the Silvan folk east of the mountains used among themselves was unlike that of the West. Legolas looked up and answered in the same language.
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FOTR Lothlórien
Frodo would likely have understood Sindarin, so they had to have been speaking the Silvan dialect.