Room of Great Learning

[Arwen]

Welcome to the room of great learning, a spacious cave crammed with books. There are tables and chairs throughout the room. The atmosphere is hushed but the gentle rippling of the river passing just outside  creates an ambient feel.

[Arwen]

*Picks up a large leather bound book and starts to read*
THE LANGUAGES OF THE ELVES

The Elves far back in the Eldar days became divided into two main branches: the West-Elves ( the Eldar) and the East- Elves.
Of the Eldarin tongues the most common were: the High-Elven or Quenya and the Grey-Elven or Sindarin.
Quenya was an ancient tongue which had become an 'Elven latin' used for ceremony and for high matters of lore and song.
The Grey-Elven (Sindarin) was in origin akin to Quenya, for it was the language of those Eldar who had not passed over the sea but had lingered on the coasts of Beleriand. Thingol Greycloak was there king and in the long twilight their tongue had changed with the changefullness of mortal lands and had become far estranged from the speech of the Eldar.

Sindarin was adopted for daily use and hence it is the tongue of all Elves and Elf-Lords that appear in history.

[Arwen]

PRONUNCIATION OF WORDS AND NAMES

      CONSONANTS
C  has the value of k, even before e and i. Celeb  (silver)   should be pronunced keleb.

CH is only used to represent the sound heard in Bach (in German and Welsh), not that in English church.

DH  represents the voiced (soft) th of English these clothes.

F  represents f except at the end of words where it represents v  - Nindalf, Fladrif.

G  has only the sound of g in give - gil (star) Gildor.

H  The quenya combination of ht  has the sound of cht as in German echt

I has the sound of y in you, yore.

QU has been used for cw, a combination frequent in Quenya.

R  represents a trilled r.

S  is always voiceless as in English so, geese.

TH represents the  voiceless th of English thin. Had become s in spoken quenya - Ithil (moon)

TY  represents the sound of t in tune.


Note that consonants written twice tt, ll, ss,nn,  represent long double consonants.

[Rhiannon]

*Knocks at the door frame* May I join you? I love books and this is one of the most beautiful libraries I ever saw.

[Arwen]

Oh please do Rhiannon.

I love it in here. You can lose all track of time leafing through the books.

If you find any interesting information on the Elvish Languages then please read it out.

[Arwen]

*continues with her reading*

VOWELS

For vowels the letters i, e, a, o, u are used, and ( in Sindarin only) y.
As far as can be determined the sounds represented by these letters (other than y) were of normal kind, though doubtless many local varieties escape detection. That is, the sounds were approximately those represented by English machine, were, father, for, brute, irrespective of quantity.
In Sindarin long a,e,o had the same quality as short vowels. In Quenya long e and o  were tenser and closer than the short vowels.
Sindaring alone possessed the 'modified' or fronted u, as in French lune. For this sound y has been used as in lyg (snake). In Gondor this y was pronunced like i.

Long vowels are usually marked with the acute accent. In SIndarin long vowels in stressed monosyllables are marked with the circumflex, since they tended to be specially prolonged.
Final e is never mute or a mere sign of length as in English.
The groups er, ir, ur (finally or before a consonant) are not intended to be pronunced as in English fern, fir, fur but rather air, eer, oor.

[Rhiannon]

*Smiles* Thank you, Arwen. *Sits down at the table and takes one of the language books.*

[Arwen]

STRESSES

The position of the 'accent' or stress is not marked, since in the Eldarin languages concerned its place is determined by the form of the word. In words of two syllables it falls in practically all cases on the first syllable. In longer words it falls on the last syllable but one, where that contains a long vowel, a dipthong, or a  vowel followed by two or more consonants. Where the last syllable but one contains a short vowel followed by only one (or no) consonant, the stress falls on the syllable before it, the third from the end. Words of this last form are favoured in the Eldarin languages especially Quenya.

In the following examples the stressed vowel is marked by a capital letter.
isIldur, Orome, erEssea, ancAlima, elentAri, dEnethor, periAnnath, ecthElion, pelArgir.

[Arwen]

*Puts her book down and goes over to the open window, stretches in the morning sun. Starts counting out loud.*

1. Er  (erh)
2. Atta (at-uh)
3. Nelde (nehld)
4. Kinta  (kin-tah)
5. Lempe (lehmp)
6. Enque  (enk)
7. Otso  (awt-soh)
8. Tolto  (tohl-toh)
9. Nerte  (neert)
10. Kainen (kay-nehn)

[Rad]

hmm..ROTK.....silmirillian...others....you must have researched hard for this presentation. My thanks and compliments.

[Arwen]

PEOPLE in Quenya

QUENDE: Elf , though this really only applies to the non-Avari Elves only.
ATAN: (Mortal) Man
FIRYA and FIRIMA: Mortal
NAUCO: Dwarf, also CASAR from dwarfish 'Khazad'
ORCO/URCO: Orc

GENERAL TERMS

QUEN: Person (pl. queni)
NER: Man (pl. neri)
VEO: Adult man
NIS/NISSE: Woman (pl.nissi)
HINA: Child
LAPSE: Baby
SELDO: Boy
WENDE: Maiden, girl
LIE: A people as a whole - as in ELDALIE=People of the Elves.

THE FAMILY

VERNO: Husband
VESSE: Wife
INDIS: Bride
ATAR: Father
ATTO: Dad
AMIL/AMME: Mother
MAMIL: Mom
YONDO: Son
YELDE: Daughter
TORON: Brother (pl. Torni)
SELER: Sister (pl. Selli)
INDYO: Grandchild, descendant
ONONA: Twin

[~Dernhelm~]

(Eowyn enters through the door) "Mind if I join in? I have begun an Elvish mailing list and anyone can join if they want to. It's just a bunch of words in Quenya as well as a bit of Sindarin which are put into a Microsoft Word Document. I have over 30 pages of vocabulary now and I will be glad to email them to whoever wants them. My address is [e-mail] By the way, whenever I find more words from various sources, I update my "Glossary" and send the list of words again to the people who wish to join. Anyone interested?"

[Arwen]

Creoso Elvellon!  

Havo Dad ar sed

[Arwen]

While typing these lists I realised that they may be useful not only for learning Elvish but also as a reference for general RP, as they reveal much about the fauna and flora of Middle-Earth.

ANIMALS

CELVA: 'moving animal'
LAMAN: four footed animals
ANDAMUNDA: Elephant
HUO: Dog
RONYO: 'Hound of chase'
HYALMA: Shell, conch
LEUCA: Snake
LINGWE: Fish
HALA: Small fish
LOKE: worm, dragon
RAMALOKE: winged dragon
URULOKE: Firedragon
LINGWILOKE: sea-serpent
MAMA: Sheep
MORCO: Bear
MUNDO: Ox
NYARO: Rat
RA: Lion
RACA / NARMO: Wolf
NAURO: Werewolf
ROCCO: Horse
RUSCO: Fox
WILWARIN: Butterfly
YAXE: Cow

BIRDS

AIWE: Small bird
ALQUA: Swan
AMMALE: Yellowbird
CU / CUA: Dove
HALATIR: Kingfisher
LINDO: Singing bird
MORILINDE: Nightingale
MAIWE: Gull
SORON / SORNE: Eagle
TAMBARO: Woodpecker
TUILINDO: Swallow
CORCO: Crow

PLANTS:

OLVA: Plant
UILE: Long, trailing plant
UARUILE: Seaweed
SALQUE: Grass
SARA: Stiff, dry grass
LASSE: Leaf
OLWA: Branch
TUSSA: Bush
HWAN: Sponge, fungus
LOTE: Flower
LOSSE: Blossom
NIENINQUE: Snowdrop
ATHELAS: Kingsfoil

TREES

ALDA: Tree
ORNE: small, slender tree
ALALME: Elm
FEREN: Beech
ERCASSE: Holly
MALINORNE: Mallorn
NORNO: Oak
TASAR: Willow
TYULUSSE: Poplar

[Arwen]

METALS, SUBSTANCES, ELEMENTS

TINCO / RAUTA: metal
MALTA: Gold
CULLO: Red-gold
TELPE: Silver
ANGA: Iron
CEMEN: Earth, soil
NEN: Water
NARE: Flame, fire
VILYA: Air
LOSSE: Snow
HELCE: Ice
LITSE: Sand
ASTO: Dust
ONDO: Stone
ROSSE: Dew
HYELLE: Glass
TO: Wool
FALLE: Foam

BODY PARTS

CAR: Head
LOXE: Hair
FINDESSE: Head of hair
ANTA: Face
HEN: Eye
LAR: Ears
NENGWE: Nose
ANTO: Mouth
PE: Lip
NELET: Tooth (pl. Nelci)
LAMBA: Tongue
FANGA: Beard
LANCO: Throat
YAT: Neck
HON: Heart
RANCO: Arm (pl. Ranqui)
MA: Hand
CAMBE: Hollow of hand
QUARE: Fist
LEPSE: Finger
TIUCO: Thigh
TELCO: Leg (pl.Telqui)
TAL: Foot
TALLUNE: Sole of foot
AXO: Bone
HRAVE: Flesh
SERCE: Blood