Elvish languages
Encyclopedia
J. R. R. Tolkien
constructed many Elvish languages. These were the languages spoken by the tribes of his Elves. Tolkien was a philologist
by profession, and spent much time on his constructed language
s. The Elvish languages were the first thing he imagined for his secondary world. Tolkien said that his stories grew out of his languages. Tolkien also created scripts for his Elvish languages, of which the best known are the Sarati
, the Tengwar
, and the Cirth
.
. He later called it Qenya (c. 1915). Tolkien was then already familiar with Latin, Greek
, Spanish
, and several ancient Germanic languages, Gothic
, Old Norse
and Old English. He had invented several cryptographic codes
(one called Animalic), and two or three constructed languages (one called Naffarin). But then he discovered Finnish, and was filled with joy. Tolkien wrote, many years later: "it was like discovering a complete wine-cellar filled with bottles of an amazing wine of a kind and flavour never tasted before. It quite intoxicated me." He had started his study of the Finnish language to be able to read the Kalevala
epic.
Tolkien with his Quenya pursued a double aesthetic goal: "classical and inflected". This urge, in fact, was the motivation for his creation of a 'mythology'. While the language developed, he needed speakers, history for the speakers and all real dynamics, like war and migration: "It was primarily linguistic in inspiration and was begun in order to provide the necessary background of ‘history’ for Elvish tongues".
The Elvish languages underwent countless revisions in grammar, mostly in conjugation
and the pronominal system
. The Elven vocabulary was not subject to sudden or extreme change; except during the first conceptual stage c. 1910–c. 1920. Tolkien sometimes changed the "meaning" of an Elvish word, but he almost never disregarded it once invented, and he kept on refining its meaning, and countlessly forged new synonyms. Moreover Elven etymology was in a constant flux. Tolkien delighted in inventing new etymons
for his Elvish vocabulary.
From the onset, Tolkien used comparative philology and the tree model
as his major tools in his constructed languages. He usually started with the phonological system of the proto-language
and then proceeded in inventing for each daughter language
s the many mechanisms of sound change needed.
In the early 30s Tolkien decided that the proto-language of the Elves was Valarin, the tongue of the gods or Valar : "The language of the Elves derived in the beginning from the Valar, but they change it even in the learning, and moreover modified and enriched it constantly at all times by their own invention." In his Comparative Tables Tolkien describes the mechanisms of sound change in the following daughter languages: Qenya, Lindarin (a dialect of Qenya), Telerin, Old Noldorin (or Feanorian), Noldorin (or Gondolinian), Ilkorin
(esp. of Doriath
), Danian of Ossiriand, East Danian, Taliska
, West Lemberin, North Lemberin, and East Lemberin.
In his lifetime J.R.R. Tolkien never ceased to experiment on his constructed languages, and they were subjected to many revisions. They had many grammars with substantial differences between different stages of development. After the publication of The Lord of the Rings
(1954–1955), the grammar rules of his major Elvish languages Quenya, Telerin and Sindarin went through very few changes (this is late Elvish 1954–1973).
". Almost each year, new Elvish words are published and the grammar rules of the Elvish languages are disclosed.
(or phylum) of several related languages and dialects. Here is set briefly the story of the Elvish languages as conceived by Tolkien c. 1965. They all originated from:
Tolkien invented two subfamilies (subgroups) of the Elvish languages. "The language of the Quendelie (Elves) was thus very early sundered into the branches Eldarin and Avarin".
The acute accent
(á, é, í, ó, ú) or circumflex
accent (â, ê, î, ô, û, ŷ) marks long vowels in the Elvish languages. When writing Common Eldarin forms, Tolkien often used the macron
to indicate long vowels. The diaeresis (ä, ë, ö) is normally used to show that a short vowel is to be separately pronounced, that it is not silent or part of a diphthong
. For example, the last four letters of Ainulindalë
represent two syllables, rather than the English word dale, and the first three letters of Eärendil
represent two syllables rather than the English word ear.
Known members of the Lambengolmor were Rúmil, who invented the first Elvish script (the Sarati
), Fëanor
who later enhanced and further developed this script into his Tengwar
, which later was spread to Middle-earth by the Exiled Noldor
and remained in use ever after, and Pengolodh, who is credited with many works, including the Osanwe-kenta
and the Lhammas
or "The 'Account of Tongues' which Pengolodh of Gondolin wrote in later days in Tol-eressëa".
Independently of the Lambengolmor, Daeron of Doriath
invented the Cirth
or Elvish-runes. These were mostly used for inscriptions, and later were replaced by the Tengwar, except among the Dwarves
.
Vowels
!Letter / Digraph
!Pronunciation
!IPA
! Further comment
|-
|a
|as in father, but shorter.
|[ɑ]
|never as in cat [*æ]
|-
|á
|as in father
|[ɑˑ]
|.
|-
|â
|(in Sindarin) as in father, but even longer
|[ɑː]
|.
|-
|ae
|(in Sindarin) the vowels described for a and e in one syllable.
|[ɑɛ̯]
|Similar to ai
|-
|ai
|a diphthong, similar to that in eye, but with short vowels
|[ɑɪ̯]
|never as in rain [*eɪ]
|-
|au
|a and u run together in one syllable. Similar to the sound in house
|[ɑʊ̯]
|never as in sauce [*ɒ]
|-
|aw
|(in Sindarin) a common way to write au at the end of the word
|[ɑʊ̯]
|.
|-
|e
|as in pet
|[ɛ]
|.
|-
|é
|the same vowel lengthened (and in Quenya more closed; as in German)
|S: [ɛˑ], Q: [eˑ]
|Rural Hobbit
pronunciation allows the sound as in English rain
|-
|ê
|(in Sindarin) the vowel of pet especially lengthened
|[ɛː]
|Rural Hobbit pronunciation allows the sound as in English rain
|-
|ei
|as in eight
|[ɛɪ̯]
|never as in either (in neither pronunciation) [*i] [*aɪ]
|-
|eu
|(in Quenya) e and u run together in one syllable
|[ɛʊ̯]
|never as in English or German [*ju] [*ɔʏ]
|-
|i
|as in machine, but short
|[i]
|not opened as in fit [*ɪ]
|-
|í
|as in machine
|[iˑ]
|.
|-
|î
|(in Sindarin) as in machine, but especially lengthened
|[iː]
|.
|-
|iu
|(in Quenya) i and u run together in one syllable
|[iʊ̯]
|later by men often as in English you [ju]
|-
|o
|open as in British got
|[ɔ]
|.
|-
|ó
|the same vowel lengthened (and in Quenya more closed; as in German)
|S: [ɔˑ], Q: [oˑ]
|Rural Hobbit pronunciation allows the sound of "long" English cold [oː]
|-
|ô
|(in Sindarin) the same vowel especially lengthened
|[ɔː]
|Rural Hobbit pronunciation allows the sound of "long" English cold [oː]
|-
|oi
|(in Quenya) as in English coin
|[ɔɪ̯]
|.
|-
|oe
|(in Sindarin) the vowels described for o and e in one syllable.
|[ɔɛ̯]
|Similar to oi. Cf. œ!
|-
|œ
|(in early Sindarin) as in German Götter
|[œ]
|in published writing, has been incorrectly spelt oe (two letters), as in Nírnaeth Arnoediad. Later became e.
|-
|u
|as in cool, but shorter
|[u]
|not opened as in book [*ʊ]
|-
|ú
|as in cool
|[uˑ]
|.
|-
|û
|(in Sindarin) the same vowel as above, but especially lengthened
|[uː]
|.
|-
|y
|(in Sindarin) as in French lune or German süß, but short
|[y]
|not found in English
|-
|ý
|(in Sindarin) as in French lune or German süß
|[yˑ]
|.
|-
|ŷ
|(in Sindarin) as in French lune or German süß, but even longer
|[yː]
|not found in English
|}>
Consonants (differing from English)
of Fëanor", but the first system he created, c. 1919, is the "tengwar of Rúmil", also called the sarati
.
of Rúmil to record their tongue, Quenya. In Middle-earth, Sindarin was first recorded using the "Elvish runes" or cirth
, named later certar in Quenya. A runic inscription in Quenya was engraved on the sword of Aragorn
(II), Andúril.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
constructed many Elvish languages. These were the languages spoken by the tribes of his Elves. Tolkien was a philologist
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
by profession, and spent much time on his constructed language
Constructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
s. The Elvish languages were the first thing he imagined for his secondary world. Tolkien said that his stories grew out of his languages. Tolkien also created scripts for his Elvish languages, of which the best known are the Sarati
Sarati
Sarati is an artificial script created by J. R. R. Tolkien. According to Tolkien's mythology, the Sarati alphabet was invented by the Elf Rúmil of Tirion.- External history :...
, the Tengwar
Tengwar
The Tengwar are an artificial script created by J. R. R. Tolkien. In his fictional universe of Middle-earth, the tengwar were invented by the Elf Fëanor, and used first to write the Elven tongues: Quenya, Telerin, and also Valarin. Later a great number of languages of Middle-earth were written...
, and the Cirth
Cirth
The Cirth are the letters of an semi-artificial script which was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien for the constructed languages he devised and used in his works. The initial C in Cirth is pronounced as a K, never as an S....
.
External history
J. R. R. Tolkien began to construct his first Elfin tongue c. 1910–1911 while he was at the King Edward's School, BirminghamKing Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...
. He later called it Qenya (c. 1915). Tolkien was then already familiar with Latin, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and several ancient Germanic languages, Gothic
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
, Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
and Old English. He had invented several cryptographic codes
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
(one called Animalic), and two or three constructed languages (one called Naffarin). But then he discovered Finnish, and was filled with joy. Tolkien wrote, many years later: "it was like discovering a complete wine-cellar filled with bottles of an amazing wine of a kind and flavour never tasted before. It quite intoxicated me." He had started his study of the Finnish language to be able to read the Kalevala
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
epic.
Tolkien with his Quenya pursued a double aesthetic goal: "classical and inflected". This urge, in fact, was the motivation for his creation of a 'mythology'. While the language developed, he needed speakers, history for the speakers and all real dynamics, like war and migration: "It was primarily linguistic in inspiration and was begun in order to provide the necessary background of ‘history’ for Elvish tongues".
The Elvish languages underwent countless revisions in grammar, mostly in conjugation
Grammatical conjugation
In linguistics, conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a verb from its principal parts by inflection . Conjugation may be affected by person, number, gender, tense, aspect, mood, voice, or other grammatical categories...
and the pronominal system
Pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
. The Elven vocabulary was not subject to sudden or extreme change; except during the first conceptual stage c. 1910–c. 1920. Tolkien sometimes changed the "meaning" of an Elvish word, but he almost never disregarded it once invented, and he kept on refining its meaning, and countlessly forged new synonyms. Moreover Elven etymology was in a constant flux. Tolkien delighted in inventing new etymons
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
for his Elvish vocabulary.
From the onset, Tolkien used comparative philology and the tree model
Tree model
A language tree, or family tree with languages substituted for real family members, has the form of a node-link diagram of a logical tree structure. Additional linguistics terminology derives from it. Such a diagram contains branch points, or nodes, from which the daughter languages descend by...
as his major tools in his constructed languages. He usually started with the phonological system of the proto-language
Proto-language
A proto-language in the tree model of historical linguistics is the common ancestor of the languages that form a language family. Occasionally, the German term Ursprache is used instead.Often the proto-language is not known directly...
and then proceeded in inventing for each daughter language
Daughter language
In historical linguistics, a daughter language is a language descended from another language through a process of genetic descent.-Examples:*English is a daughter language of Proto-Germanic, which is a daughter language of Proto-Indo-European....
s the many mechanisms of sound change needed.
In the early 30s Tolkien decided that the proto-language of the Elves was Valarin, the tongue of the gods or Valar : "The language of the Elves derived in the beginning from the Valar, but they change it even in the learning, and moreover modified and enriched it constantly at all times by their own invention." In his Comparative Tables Tolkien describes the mechanisms of sound change in the following daughter languages: Qenya, Lindarin (a dialect of Qenya), Telerin, Old Noldorin (or Feanorian), Noldorin (or Gondolinian), Ilkorin
Ilkorin
Ilkorin is a Quenya word, literally meaning "not of Kôr". The Ilkorindi were a group of Elves from J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe. They first appear in The Book of Lost Tales. It was then a name with a broad meaning for all the Elves who "never saw the light of Kôr" and also for their many...
(esp. of Doriath
Doriath
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Doriath is the realm of the Sindar, the Grey Elves of King Thingol in Beleriand. Along with the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium such as Mirkwood, Fangorn and Lothlórien it serves as the central stage in the theatre of its time, the First Age...
), Danian of Ossiriand, East Danian, Taliska
Taliska
Taliska is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional languages set in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Taliska was based on the Gothic language. Gothic was an early interest of Tolkien...
, West Lemberin, North Lemberin, and East Lemberin.
In his lifetime J.R.R. Tolkien never ceased to experiment on his constructed languages, and they were subjected to many revisions. They had many grammars with substantial differences between different stages of development. After the publication of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
(1954–1955), the grammar rules of his major Elvish languages Quenya, Telerin and Sindarin went through very few changes (this is late Elvish 1954–1973).
Publication of linguistic papers
Two magazines Vinyar Tengwar, from issue 39 (July 1998), and Parma Eldalamberon, from issue 11 (1995), are exclusively devoted to the editing and publishing of J.R.R. Tolkien's gigantic mass of unpublished linguistic papers. These are published at a pace considered by many to be excessively slow. The editors have not published a comprehensive catalogue of the unpublished linguistic papers they are working on. Even more disturbing for some is the fact that access to the unpublished documents is severely limited. These papers were not published by Christopher Tolkien in the volumes of his "The History of Middle-earthThe History of Middle-earth
The History of Middle-earth is a 12-volume series of books published from 1983 through to 1996 that collect and analyse material relating to the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, compiled and edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien. Some of the content consists of earlier versions of already published...
". Almost each year, new Elvish words are published and the grammar rules of the Elvish languages are disclosed.
Internal history
The Elvish languages are a familyLanguage family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
(or phylum) of several related languages and dialects. Here is set briefly the story of the Elvish languages as conceived by Tolkien c. 1965. They all originated from:
- Primitive QuendianPrimitive QuendianPrimitive Quendian is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional language set in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth....
, also called Quenderin, the proto-language of all the ElvesElf (Middle-earth)In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
who awoke together in the Far-East of Middle-earth, Cuiviénen, and began "naturally" to make a language.
- All the Elvish languages are presumed to be descendants of this common ancestor.
Tolkien invented two subfamilies (subgroups) of the Elvish languages. "The language of the Quendelie (Elves) was thus very early sundered into the branches Eldarin and Avarin".
- AvariAvari (Middle-earth)In the fictional works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Avari are an ethnic group of the Elves.- History of the Avari:Avari is a Quenya word meaning 'Refusers' or 'Recusants'. When the vala Oromë found the Elves who had awakened in Cuiviénen , he asked them to come with him to Valinor...
n is the language of various Elves of the Second and Third Clans, who refused to come to ValinorValinorValinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...
.- Avarin developed into various Avarin languages.
- Common EldarinCommon EldarinCommon Eldarin, or simply Eldarin, is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional language set in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth....
is the language of the three clans of the Eldar during the Great March to Valinor. It developed into:- QuenyaQuenyaQuenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
, the language of the Elves in Eldamar beyond the Sea; it divided into:- Vanyarin Quenya, colloquial speech of the VanyarVanyarIn the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Vanyar are the fairest and most noble of the High Elves. They are the smallest of the three clans of the Eldar, and were the first to arrive in Aman. According to legend, the clan was founded by Imin, the first Elf to awake at Cuiviénen, his wife Iminyë, and...
, the Elves of the First Clan; - Noldorin Quenya (and later Exilic Quenya), colloquial speech of the NoldorNoldorIn the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor are Elves of the Second Clan who migrated to Valinor and lived in Eldamar. The Noldor are called Golodhrim or Gódhellim in Sindarin, and Goldoi by Teleri of Tol Eressëa. The singular form of the Quenya noun is Noldo and the adjective is Noldorin...
, the Elves of the Second Clan.
- Vanyarin Quenya, colloquial speech of the Vanyar
- TelerinTelerinTelerin is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional language set in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth....
, the language of the TeleriTeleriIn the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Teleri, Those who come last in Quenya were the third of the Elf clans who came to Aman...
, Elves of the Third Clan, living in Tol EressëaTol EressëaIn early versions of J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium , Tol Eressëa was an island visited by the Anglo-Saxon traveller Ælfwine which provided a framework for the tales that later became The Silmarillion. The name is the Elvish for "Lonely Island"...
and Alqualondë. - Nandorin, the language of the Nandor, a branch of the Third Clan.
- Nandorin developed into various Nandorin or Silvan languages.
- SindarinSindarinSindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
is the language of the SindarSindarIn the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the fictional Sindar are Elves of Telerin descent. They are also known as the Grey Elves. Their language is Sindarin...
, a branch of the Third Clan, who dwelt in BeleriandBeleriandIn J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
. Its dialects include:- Doriathrin, in DoriathDoriathIn J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Doriath is the realm of the Sindar, the Grey Elves of King Thingol in Beleriand. Along with the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium such as Mirkwood, Fangorn and Lothlórien it serves as the central stage in the theatre of its time, the First Age...
; - Falathrin, in the Falas of Beleriand;
- North Sindarin, in DorthonionDorthonionIn the fictional world of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, Dorthonion , later Taur-nu-Fuin, was a highland region of the First Age, lying immediately to the north of Beleriand, and south of the plains of Ard-galen that extended north to Morgoth's stronghold of Thangorodrim...
and HithlumHithlumIn J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Hithlum is the region north of Beleriand near the Helcaraxë.Hithlum was separated from Beleriand proper by the Ered Wethrin mountain chain, and was named after the sea mists which formed there at times: Hithlum is Sindarin for "Mist-shadow";...
; - Noldorin Sindarin, spoken by the Exiled Noldor.
- Doriathrin, in Doriath
- Quenya
The acute accent
Acute accent
The acute accent is a diacritic used in many modern written languages with alphabets based on the Latin, Cyrillic, and Greek scripts.-Apex:An early precursor of the acute accent was the apex, used in Latin inscriptions to mark long vowels.-Greek:...
(á, é, í, ó, ú) or circumflex
Circumflex
The circumflex is a diacritic used in the written forms of many languages, and is also commonly used in various romanization and transcription schemes. It received its English name from Latin circumflexus —a translation of the Greek περισπωμένη...
accent (â, ê, î, ô, û, ŷ) marks long vowels in the Elvish languages. When writing Common Eldarin forms, Tolkien often used the macron
Macron
A macron, from the Greek , meaning "long", is a diacritic placed above a vowel . It was originally used to mark a long or heavy syllable in Greco-Roman metrics, but now marks a long vowel...
to indicate long vowels. The diaeresis (ä, ë, ö) is normally used to show that a short vowel is to be separately pronounced, that it is not silent or part of a diphthong
Diphthong
A diphthong , also known as a gliding vowel, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel...
. For example, the last four letters of Ainulindalë
Ainulindalë
The Ainulindalë is the first part of the fantasy work The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien. In Tolkien's legendarium, the Ainur are Eä's divine beings. In Heaven, before Time, they compose a Great Music. This Music is revealed to be the template, or blueprint, commensurable with the entire history...
represent two syllables, rather than the English word dale, and the first three letters of Eärendil
Eärendil
Eärendil the Mariner is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is depicted in The Silmarillion as a great seafarer who, on his brow, carried the morning star across the sky.-Etymology:...
represent two syllables rather than the English word ear.
Internal development of the Elvish word for "Elves"
Below is a family tree of the Elvish languages, showing how the Primitive Quendian word kwendī "people" (later meaning "Elves") was altered in the descendant languages.| Time Period | Languages | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Awakening | Primitive Quendian Primitive Quendian Primitive Quendian is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional language set in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.... The tongue of all Elves at Cuiviénen kwendī | |||||
| The Westward March | Quenya Quenya Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves... Vanyar Vanyar In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Vanyar are the fairest and most noble of the High Elves. They are the smallest of the three clans of the Eldar, and were the first to arrive in Aman. According to legend, the clan was founded by Imin, the first Elf to awake at Cuiviénen, his wife Iminyë, and... and Noldor Noldor In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor are Elves of the Second Clan who migrated to Valinor and lived in Eldamar. The Noldor are called Golodhrim or Gódhellim in Sindarin, and Goldoi by Teleri of Tol Eressëa. The singular form of the Quenya noun is Noldo and the adjective is Noldorin... Quendi | Common Eldarin Common Eldarin Common Eldarin, or simply Eldarin, is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional language set in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.... The tongue of the Elves during the March Kwendī | Avarin Avari Avari (Middle-earth) In the fictional works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Avari are an ethnic group of the Elves.- History of the Avari:Avari is a Quenya word meaning 'Refusers' or 'Recusants'. When the vala Oromë found the Elves who had awakened in Cuiviénen , he asked them to come with him to Valinor... , those Elves who stayed at Cuiviénen and from there spread across Middle-earth Middle-earth Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.... (many languages) Kindi, Cuind, Hwenti, Windan, Kinn-lai | |||
| The First Age of the Sun | Telerin Telerin Telerin is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional language set in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.... Teleri Teleri In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Teleri, Those who come last in Quenya were the third of the Elf clans who came to Aman... in Aman Aman -External links:*... Pendi | Sindarin Sindarin Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin.... Elves of the Third Clan in Beleriand did not use it: "P.Q. *kwende, *kwendī disappeared altogether.". The exiled Noldor Noldor In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor are Elves of the Second Clan who migrated to Valinor and lived in Eldamar. The Noldor are called Golodhrim or Gódhellim in Sindarin, and Goldoi by Teleri of Tol Eressëa. The singular form of the Quenya noun is Noldo and the adjective is Noldorin... used in their Sindarin: Penedh, pl. Penidh | Nandorin Elves of Ossiriand: sg. Cwenda | |||
| Silvan Silvan Elves Silvan Elves are an ethnic group of Elves in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, mainly the Elves of Mirkwood and Lothlórien.In the First Age the Elves of Ossiriand, or Laiquendi, were also referred to as wood-elves.... The Wood-elves of the Vale of Anduin Anduin In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Anduin is the Sindarin name for the Great River of Wilderland, the longest river in the Third Age . The ancestors of the Rohirrim called it Langflood. It flowed from its source in the Grey and Misty Mountains to the Mouths of Anduin in the Great Sea... Penni | ||||||
Fictional philology
There is a tradition of philological study of Elvish languages within the fiction. Elven philologists are referred to by the Quenya term Lambengolmor. In Quenya, lambe means spoken language or verbal communication.Known members of the Lambengolmor were Rúmil, who invented the first Elvish script (the Sarati
Sarati
Sarati is an artificial script created by J. R. R. Tolkien. According to Tolkien's mythology, the Sarati alphabet was invented by the Elf Rúmil of Tirion.- External history :...
), Fëanor
Fëanor
Fëanor is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium who plays an important part in The Silmarillion. He was the eldest son of Finwë, the High King of the Noldor, and his first wife Míriel Serindë...
who later enhanced and further developed this script into his Tengwar
Tengwar
The Tengwar are an artificial script created by J. R. R. Tolkien. In his fictional universe of Middle-earth, the tengwar were invented by the Elf Fëanor, and used first to write the Elven tongues: Quenya, Telerin, and also Valarin. Later a great number of languages of Middle-earth were written...
, which later was spread to Middle-earth by the Exiled Noldor
Noldor
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor are Elves of the Second Clan who migrated to Valinor and lived in Eldamar. The Noldor are called Golodhrim or Gódhellim in Sindarin, and Goldoi by Teleri of Tol Eressëa. The singular form of the Quenya noun is Noldo and the adjective is Noldorin...
and remained in use ever after, and Pengolodh, who is credited with many works, including the Osanwe-kenta
Osanwe-kenta
The Ósanwe-kenta or Enquiry into the Communication of Thought is a text by J. R. R. Tolkien, written as a typescript of eight pages, probably in 1960, published in Vinyar Tengwar in 1998....
and the Lhammas
Lhammas
The Lhammas is a work of fictional sociolinguistics by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in The Lost Road and Other Writings, volume V of The History of Middle-earth....
or "The 'Account of Tongues' which Pengolodh of Gondolin wrote in later days in Tol-eressëa".
Independently of the Lambengolmor, Daeron of Doriath
Doriath
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Doriath is the realm of the Sindar, the Grey Elves of King Thingol in Beleriand. Along with the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium such as Mirkwood, Fangorn and Lothlórien it serves as the central stage in the theatre of its time, the First Age...
invented the Cirth
Cirth
The Cirth are the letters of an semi-artificial script which was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien for the constructed languages he devised and used in his works. The initial C in Cirth is pronounced as a K, never as an S....
or Elvish-runes. These were mostly used for inscriptions, and later were replaced by the Tengwar, except among the Dwarves
Dwarf (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting the world of Arda, a fictional prehistoric Earth which includes the continent Middle-earth....
.
Pronunciation of Quenya and Sindarin
Sindarin and Quenya have a very similar pronunciation. The following table gives pronunciation for each letter or cluster in international phonetic script and examples:Vowels
Digraph (orthography)
A digraph or digram is a pair of characters used to write one phoneme or a sequence of phonemes that does not correspond to the normal values of the two characters combined...
!Pronunciation
!IPA
! Further comment
|-
|a
|as in father, but shorter.
|[ɑ]
|never as in cat [*æ]
|-
|á
|as in father
|[ɑˑ]
|.
|-
|â
|(in Sindarin) as in father, but even longer
|[ɑː]
|.
|-
|ae
|(in Sindarin) the vowels described for a and e in one syllable.
|[ɑɛ̯]
|Similar to ai
|-
|ai
|a diphthong, similar to that in eye, but with short vowels
|[ɑɪ̯]
|never as in rain [*eɪ]
|-
|au
|a and u run together in one syllable. Similar to the sound in house
|[ɑʊ̯]
|never as in sauce [*ɒ]
|-
|aw
|(in Sindarin) a common way to write au at the end of the word
|[ɑʊ̯]
|.
|-
|e
|as in pet
|[ɛ]
|.
|-
|é
|the same vowel lengthened (and in Quenya more closed; as in German)
|S: [ɛˑ], Q: [eˑ]
|Rural Hobbit
Hobbit
Hobbits are a fictional diminutive race who inhabit the lands of Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction.Hobbits first appeared in the novel The Hobbit, in which the main protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, is the titular hobbit...
pronunciation allows the sound as in English rain
|-
|ê
|(in Sindarin) the vowel of pet especially lengthened
|[ɛː]
|Rural Hobbit pronunciation allows the sound as in English rain
|-
|ei
|as in eight
|[ɛɪ̯]
|never as in either (in neither pronunciation) [*i] [*aɪ]
|-
|eu
|(in Quenya) e and u run together in one syllable
|[ɛʊ̯]
|never as in English or German [*ju] [*ɔʏ]
|-
|i
|as in machine, but short
|[i]
|not opened as in fit [*ɪ]
|-
|í
|as in machine
|[iˑ]
|.
|-
|î
|(in Sindarin) as in machine, but especially lengthened
|[iː]
|.
|-
|iu
|(in Quenya) i and u run together in one syllable
|[iʊ̯]
|later by men often as in English you [ju]
|-
|o
|open as in British got
|[ɔ]
|.
|-
|ó
|the same vowel lengthened (and in Quenya more closed; as in German)
|S: [ɔˑ], Q: [oˑ]
|Rural Hobbit pronunciation allows the sound of "long" English cold [oː]
|-
|ô
|(in Sindarin) the same vowel especially lengthened
|[ɔː]
|Rural Hobbit pronunciation allows the sound of "long" English cold [oː]
|-
|oi
|(in Quenya) as in English coin
|[ɔɪ̯]
|.
|-
|oe
|(in Sindarin) the vowels described for o and e in one syllable.
|[ɔɛ̯]
|Similar to oi. Cf. œ!
|-
|œ
|(in early Sindarin) as in German Götter
|[œ]
|in published writing, has been incorrectly spelt oe (two letters), as in Nírnaeth Arnoediad. Later became e.
|-
|u
|as in cool, but shorter
|[u]
|not opened as in book [*ʊ]
|-
|ú
|as in cool
|[uˑ]
|.
|-
|û
|(in Sindarin) the same vowel as above, but especially lengthened
|[uː]
|.
|-
|y
|(in Sindarin) as in French lune or German süß, but short
|[y]
|not found in English
|-
|ý
|(in Sindarin) as in French lune or German süß
|[yˑ]
|.
|-
|ŷ
|(in Sindarin) as in French lune or German süß, but even longer
|[yː]
|not found in English
|}>
Consonants (differing from English)
- The letter c always denotes [k], even before i and e; for instance, CelebornCelebornCeleborn is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings as the Elven husband of Galadriel, Lord of the Galadhrim; and co-ruler along with Galadriel of Lothlórien. He was the father of Celebrían — the wife of Elrond — and thus the...
is pronounced Keleborn, and CirthCirthThe Cirth are the letters of an semi-artificial script which was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien for the constructed languages he devised and used in his works. The initial C in Cirth is pronounced as a K, never as an S....
is pronounced Kirth; thus, it never denotes the soft c [*s] in cent. - The letter g always denotes the hard [ɡ], as in give, rather than the soft form [*d͡ʒ], as in gem.
- The letter r denotes an alveolar trillAlveolar trillThe alveolar trill is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental, alveolar, and postalveolar trills is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is r. It is commonly called the rolled R, rolling R, or trilled R...
[r], similar to SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
r. - The digraphDigraph (orthography)A digraph or digram is a pair of characters used to write one phoneme or a sequence of phonemes that does not correspond to the normal values of the two characters combined...
dh, as in CaradhrasCaradhrasIn the fictional universe of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, Caradhras, also called the Redhorn , and known in the Dwarves' language as Barazinbar, is one of the mightiest peaks in the Misty Mountains...
, denotes [ð] as in English this. - The digraph ch, as in Orch, denotes [x] as in GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
ach, and never like the ch [*t͡ʃ] in English chair.
Elvish scripts
Most samples of the Elvish language done by Tolkien were written out with the Latin alphabet, but within the fiction Tolkien imagined many writing systems for his Elves. The most well-known are the "tengwarTengwar
The Tengwar are an artificial script created by J. R. R. Tolkien. In his fictional universe of Middle-earth, the tengwar were invented by the Elf Fëanor, and used first to write the Elven tongues: Quenya, Telerin, and also Valarin. Later a great number of languages of Middle-earth were written...
of Fëanor", but the first system he created, c. 1919, is the "tengwar of Rúmil", also called the sarati
Sarati
Sarati is an artificial script created by J. R. R. Tolkien. According to Tolkien's mythology, the Sarati alphabet was invented by the Elf Rúmil of Tirion.- External history :...
.
List of known Elvish scripts devised by Tolkien
In chronological order :- Tengwar of Rúmil or SaratiSaratiSarati is an artificial script created by J. R. R. Tolkien. According to Tolkien's mythology, the Sarati alphabet was invented by the Elf Rúmil of Tirion.- External history :...
- Gondolinic Runes (Runes used in the city of Gondolin)
- Valmaric script
- Andyoqenya
- Qenyatic
- TengwarTengwarThe Tengwar are an artificial script created by J. R. R. Tolkien. In his fictional universe of Middle-earth, the tengwar were invented by the Elf Fëanor, and used first to write the Elven tongues: Quenya, Telerin, and also Valarin. Later a great number of languages of Middle-earth were written...
of Fëanor - The CirthCirthThe Cirth are the letters of an semi-artificial script which was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien for the constructed languages he devised and used in his works. The initial C in Cirth is pronounced as a K, never as an S....
of Daeron
Internal history of the scripts
Prior to their exile, the Elves of the Second Clan (the Noldor) used first the saratiSarati
Sarati is an artificial script created by J. R. R. Tolkien. According to Tolkien's mythology, the Sarati alphabet was invented by the Elf Rúmil of Tirion.- External history :...
of Rúmil to record their tongue, Quenya. In Middle-earth, Sindarin was first recorded using the "Elvish runes" or cirth
Cirth
The Cirth are the letters of an semi-artificial script which was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien for the constructed languages he devised and used in his works. The initial C in Cirth is pronounced as a K, never as an S....
, named later certar in Quenya. A runic inscription in Quenya was engraved on the sword of Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
(II), Andúril.
See also
- Languages constructed by J. R. R. Tolkien
- A Elbereth GilthonielA Elbereth GilthonielA Elbereth Gilthoniel is an Elvish hymn to Varda in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.-The Hymn:There are three versions of this hymn, the first of which being the largest portion of Sindarin found in the novel:-Musical Versions:...
- EntishEntishEntish is a constructed language from the fictional works of J.R.R. Tolkien. It is the language spoken by the Ents in Middle-earth.Ents are not hasty creatures; they take their time. Even their language is "unhasty"...
- NamáriëNamárië"Namárië" is a poem by J. R. R. Tolkien written in Quenya, a constructed language, and published for the first time in The Lord of the Rings...
- OromëanOromëanIn an older version of J.R.R. Tolkien's conception of the languages of Middle-earth as expounded in the Lhammas, Oromëan is the language phylum to which all Elvish languages, such as Quenya and Sindarin, belong...
External links
- Elvish.org FAQArticle by Carl F. Hostetter. Succinct citations of Tolkien's own views of the purpose, completeness and usability of his languages.
- "Elvish as She Is Spoke"Article by Carl F. Hostetter. A thorough examination of Tolkien's purposes in inventing his Elvish languages and his practices in describing them, their consequent nature, and the inherent pitfalls in any attempt to "speak Elvish". Republished with permission from The Lord of the Rings 1954–2004: Scholarship in Honor of Richard E. Blackwelder (Marquette, 2006), ed. Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.
- So You Want to Learn Elvish? – discussion on problems with Tolkienian Elvish
- The Elvish Linguistic Fellowship: Publishes the journals Parma Eldalamberon, Tengwestië, and Vinyar Tengwar
- Learn Tengwar and Sarati
- Elvish fonts for TEXTeXTeX is a typesetting system designed and mostly written by Donald Knuth and released in 1978. Within the typesetting system, its name is formatted as ....
- Elvish fonts for Windows