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1 BLESSED
alya, almárëa (prosperous, rich, abundant), herenya (wealthy, fortunate, rich), manaquenta or manquenta, also aman ("blessed, free from evil" – Aman was "chiefly used as the name of the land where the Valar dwelt" [WJ:399], and as an adjective “blessed” the word may add an adjectival ending: amanya, VT49:41). Aman is the apparent Quenya equivalent of “the Blessed Realm” (allative Amanna is attested, VT49:26). The word calambar, apparently literally *“light-fated”, also seems to mean “blessed” (VT49:41). Cf. also BLESSED BEING Manwë (name of the King of the Valar). Alya, almárëa, and herenya are adjectives that may also have worldly connontations, apparently often used with reference to one who is "blessed" with material possessions or simply has good luck; on the other hand, the forms derived from the root man- primarily describe something free from evil: Cf. mána "blessed" in Fíriel's Song (referring to the Valar) and the alternative form manna in VT43:19 [cf. VT45:32] (in VT45 referring to the Virgin Mary; the form mána may be preferred for clarity, since manna is apparently also the question-word "whither?", "where to?") The forms manaquenta or manquenta also include the man- root, but it is combined with a derivative (passive participle?) of the verbal stem quet- "say, speak", these forms seemingly referring to someone who is "blessed" in the sense that people speak well of this person (a third form from the same source, manque, is possibly incomplete: read manquenta?) (VT44:10-11) The most purely "spiritual" term is possibly the word aistana, used for "blessed" in Tolkien's translation of the Hail Mary, where this word refers to the Virgin (VT43:27-28, 30). Aistana is apparently not an independent adjective (like alya, mána etc.), but rather the passive participle of a verb \#aista- "bless"; see above concerning its precise application. BLESSEDNESS vald- (so in LT1:272; nom. sg. must be either *val or *valdë) (happiness; but since this word comes from early material where it was intended to be related to Valar "Happy/Blessed Ones", its conceptual validity may be doubted because Tolkien later reinterpreted Valar as "the Powers" and dropped the earlier etymology). BLESSING (a boon, a good or fortunate thing), see BOON. "BLESSINGS", BLESSEDNESS, BLISS almië, almarë; FINAL BLISS manar, mandë (doom, final end, fate, fortune) –LotR:989 cf Letters:308; GAL, KHER, Letters:283, LT1:272, MAN/MANAD, VT43:19, 27-28, 30 -
2 THEIR
may be expressed as the ending -lta (also -ltya) added to nouns (VT49:16), e.g. *aldalta or *aldaltya = “their tree”. – In some sources, Tolkien instead gives the ending as -nta (nassentar pl. “their true-being[s]”, PE17:174) or -ntya (called an “archaic” form in VT49:17), just as he hesitated between -ltë and -ntë as the ending for “they” (VT49:17; see THEY). In “colloquial Quenya”, the ending -rya could also be used for the plural pronoun “their” (símaryassen “in their imaginations”, VT49:16), because it was felt to contain the plural ending -r, but in “correct” written Quenya -rya was rather the ending for “his, her, its” (VT49:17). – According to VT49:17, the vowel -i- is inserted before the ending -lta/-ltya or -nta/-ntya when it is added to a stem ending in a consonant (but the evidence concerning connecting vowels before pronominal endings is rather diverse). – All these words for “their” are plural; the ending for dual “their” (describing something owned by two persons) is given in VT49:16 as -sta, but this clashes with a similar ending belonging to the second rather than the third person. The corresponding ending for “they” was (according to VT49:51) changed from -stë to -ttë, seemingly implying *-tta as the ending for dual “their”: hence e.g. *aldatta, “the tree of the two of them”. – No independent words for “their, theirs” are attested. Analogy may point to *tenya (plural) and *túnya or *tunya (dual), based on (attested) ten and (unattested) *tún as the dative forms of the pronouns te, tú “they” (plural and dual, repectively). Compare such attested forms as ninya “my” and menya “our” vs. the dative pronouns nin “for me”, men “for us”. -
3 BE
Quenya uses forms of ná as the copula used to join adjectives, nouns or pronouns “in statements (or wishes) asserting (or desiring) a thing to have certain quality, or to be the same as another” (VT49:28). It may also denote a position, as in tanomë nauvan “I will be there” (VT49:19). PE17:68 mentions návë “being” as a “general infinitive” form; the gloss would suggest that návë may also be regarded as a gerund. Present tense ná “is” (Nam), pl. nar or nár ”are" (PE15:36, VT49:27, 30), dual nát (VT49:30). Also attested with various pronominal endings: nányë/nanyë “I am”, nalyë or natyë “you (sg.) are” (polite and familiar, respectively), nás “it is”, násë “(s)he is”, nalmë “we are” (VT49:27, 30). Some forms listed in VT49:27 are perhaps intended as aorist forms (nain “I am”, naityë/nailyë “you are”); VT49:30 however lists aorist forms with no intruding i (nanyë *“I am”, nalyë *”thou art”, ná “is”, nassë *”(s)he is”, nalmë *“we are”, nar “are”). Pa.t. nánë or né “was”, pl. náner/nér and dual nét “were” (VT49:6, 10, 27, 30). According to VT49:31, né “was” cannot receive pronominal endings (though nésë “he was” is attested elsewhere, VT49:28-29), and such endings are rather added to the form ane-, e.g. anen “I was”, anel “you were”, anes “(s)he/it was” (VT49:28). Future tense nauva "will be" (VT42:34, VT49:19; alternative form uva only in VT49:30) Perfect anaië “has been” (VT49:27, first written as anáyë). The form na may be used as imperative (na airë "be holy", VT43:14, alcar...na Erun "glory...be to God", VT44:34); this imperative na is apparently incorporated in the word nai "be it that" (misleading translation "maybe" in LotR). This nai can be combined with a verb to express a hope that something will happen (Nam: nai hiruvalyë Valimar, “may you find Valimar”) or if the verb is in the present rather than the future tense, that it is already happening (VT49:39: nai Eru lye mánata “God bless you” or *”may God be blessing you”). According to PE17:58, imperative na is short for á na with the imperative particle included. – Ná "is" appears with a short vowel (na) in some sources, but writers should probably maintain the long vowel to avoid confusion with the imperative na (and with the wholly distinct preposition na "to"). The short form na- may however be usual before pronominal suffixes. By one interpretation, na with a short vowel represents the aorist (VT49:27). – The word ëa is variously translated "is", "exists", "it is", "let it be". It has a more absolute meaning than ná, with reference to existence rather than being a mere copula. It may also be used (with prepositional phrases) to denote a position: i ëa han ëa “[our Father] who is beyond [the universe of] Eä” (VT43:12-14), i Eru i or ilyë mahalmar ëa “the One who is above all thrones” (UT:305). The pa.t. of this verb is engë, VT43:38, perfect engië or rarely éyë, future euva, VT49:29. – Fíriel's Song contains a word ye "is" (compare VT46:22), but its status in LotR-style Quenya is uncertain. – NOT BE, NOT DO: Also attested is the negative copula uin and umin "I do not, am not" (1st pers. aorist), pa.t. úmë. According to VT49:29, forms like ui “it is not”, uin(yë) “I am not”, uil(yë) *“you are not”, *uis *”(s)he is not” and uilmë *”we are not” are cited in a document dating from about 1968, though some of this was struck out. The monosyllable ú is used for “was not” in one text. The negation lá can be inflected for time “when verb is not expressed”. Tense-forms given: (aorist) lanyë “I do not, am not”; the other forms are cited without pronominal suffixes: present laia, past lánë, perfect alaië, future lauva, imperative ala, alá. MAY IT BE SO, see AMEN. –VT49:27-34, Nam/RGEO:67, VT43:34/An Introduction to Elvish:5, VT42:34,Silm:21/391, FS, UGU/UMU, VT49:13 -
4 FREE
(adj.) léra, aranya (not to be confused with aranya *"my king"; the shorter form ranya also cited must not be confused with the verb "stray, wander"), mirima (but a very similar word, mírima, is rather assigned the meaning “very valuable” in Tolkien’s later Quenya). The previous words are apparently used to describe “free” persons, whereas the following refer to inanimates: latin, latina (open, cleared [of land]), lerina ("free" of things in the sense of "not guarded, reserved, made fast, or 'owned'", VT41:5). Lehta “free, released” (perhaps applicable to persons, but cf. the following:) FREE ELEMENT (a term for "vowel") \#lehta tengwë (only pl. lehta tengwi is attested; we would rather expect *lehtë tengwi). (A word fairë "free" is mentioned in LT1:250, but may be obsolete: several other meanings are attributed to this word in later writings [see DEATH, PHANTOM, RADIANCE]. Fairië "freedom" does not clash with later words, but must probably be considered conceptually obsolete if fairë is so regarded.) FREE FROM EVIL aman (see BLESSED) –VT41:5, VT46:10, MIS, LAT, VT39:17, WJ:399 (verb) rúna- (see DELIVER); SET FREE lerya- (release, let go), sen- (let go, let loose) –VT43:23, VT41:5, 6, VT43:18 -
5 THEY, THEM
(3rd person pl. and dual forms): As the pronominal ending for “they”, Tolkien hesitated between -ltë and -ntë. For instance, a verb like “they do” is attested both as cariltë and carintë (VT49:16, 17). In one text, the ending -ltë is marked as archaic or poetic (VT49:17), but in other paradigms no such qualification occurs (VT49:51). The alternative form -nte- occurs in UT:317, with a second pronominal marker (-s “it”, denoting the object) following: Tiruvantes "they will keep it". General considerations of euphony may favour -ltë rather than -ntë (e.g. *quenteltë rather than *quententë for “they spoke” – in the past tense, many verbs end in -ntë even before any pronominal endings are supplied, like quentë “spoke” in this example). The ending -ltë (unlike -ntë) would also conform with the general system that the plural pronominal endings include the plural marker l (VT48:11). – In Tolkien’s early material, the ending -ltë appears as -lto instead (e.g. tulielto “they have come”, LT1:270). – A simple plural verb (with ending -r) can have “they” as its implied subject, as in the example quetir en “they still say” (PE17:167). – In the independent pronouns, distinct forms of may be used depending on whether “they, them” refers to living beings (persons, animals or even plants) or to non-living things or abstracts. The “personal” independent pronoun is te, which may have a long vowel when stressed (té, VT49:51). It is also attested in object position (laita te “bless them”, LotR:989 cf. Letters:308, VT43:20). It can receive case endings, e.g. dative ten (VT49:14; variant forms téna and tien, VT49:14, VT43:12, 21). As the “impersonal” they, them referring to non-living things, Tolkien in some sources used ta (VT43:20; 8, 9), but this apparently caused dissatisfaction because he also wanted ta to be the singular pronoun “that, it”. According to VT49:32, the form tai was introduced as the word for impersonal or inanimate “they, them” (in some places changed to te, apparently suggesting that Tolkien considered using te for both personal and impersonal “they/them”, abandoning the distinction). Another source (VT49:51) lists sa as the pl. impersonal form, but all other published sources use this pronoun for singular impersonal “it”, not pl. “they”. – The object “them” can also be expressed by the ending -t following another pronominal suffix (laituvalmet, “we shall bless [or praise] them", LotR:989 cf Letters:308). Presumably this ending -t makes no distinction between personal and impersonal forms. – Quenya also possesses special dual forms of “they, them”, used where only two persons or things are referred to (none of these pronouns distinguish between personal and impersonal forms). In VT49:16, the old ending for dual “they” is given as -stë (marked as archaic or poetic), but this would clash with the corresponding 2nd person ending. According to VT49:51, this ending was changed (also within the imaginary world) from -stë to -ttë, which seems the better alternative (*carittë, “the two of them do”). The independent dual pronoun is given as tú (ibid.) However, it may also be permissible to use te for “they, them” even where only two persons are involved (te is seemingly used with reference to Frodo and Sam in one of the examples above, laita te “bless them”). – Genitive forms, see THEIR; reflexive pronoun, see THEMSELVES. -
6 OUR
As described in the entry WE, the 3rd person pl. pronouns distinguish plural forms from dual (depending on whether two or more persons are involved) and exclusive forms from inclusive (depending on whether the party addressed is included in “we/our”). Tolkien revised the relevant endings repeatedly. According to one late resolution described in VT49:16, the endings for exclusive “our” are –lma in the plural and –mma as a dual form, hence *aldalma “our tree” (with an “our” of at least three persons, not including the party addressed), but *aldamma “our tree = my and one other person’s tree”. The corresponding inclusive forms are –lwa (plural) and –ngwa (dual). Since the subject ending corresponding to the former is attested as “-lwe, –lve” (VT49:51), –lwa can surely also appear as *-lva, as in *omentielva “our meeting” (attested in the genitive case: omentielvo “of our meeting”, WJ:367). Hence *aldalwa/aldalva “our tree” (an “our” of at least three persons, including the party addressed), dual *aldangwa “our tree = thy and my tree”. – An independent word for plural exclusive "our" appears in VT43:19, 35: menya (also menyë modifying a plural noun). The corresponding plural inclusive form should apparently be *venya (pl. *venyë) for archaic *wenya (pl. wenyai > wenyë). The dual forms would most likely be *mentya (excl.) and *ventya (incl.); compare me, we/ve as the independent pronouns for “we” (with dual forms met, wet/*vet and dative forms *ment, * went/vent, from which the independent possessive pronouns are apparently derived by adding the adjectival ending -ya). – Notice that in an earlier conceptual phase, the forms in –mm- were plural (not as later dual) inclusive, and the forms in –lm- were plural inclusive rather than exclusive. This is why the word translated “of our meeting” appeared as omentielmo in the first edition of LotR, but was changed to omentielvo in the Second Edition. Cf. also Átaremma “our Father” as the first word of Tolkien’s translation of the Lord’s Prayer (VT43:12); this “our” is obviously meant to be plural exclusive rather than dual as it later became (according to Tolkien’s later conventions, “our Father” would be *Átarelma when a group of three or more persons addresses a party not included in “our”, in this case the Father himself). -
7 REMAIN
lemya- (to tarry). Possibly this verb should have the past tense *lemnë rather than ?lemyanë, since intransitive verbs in –ya may seem to surrender this suffix in the past tense. REMAINS erin (evidently a verb; the ending -n for 3rd person rather than 1st person would not be valid in later Quenya. A verbal stem \#er- "remain" may perhaps be isolated, but the source is very early and writers should rather use lemya-.) –VT45:26, LT1:269 -
8 TEN
quëan, quain. (In earlier sources the word cainen occurs, but according to VT48:12, Tolkien eventually rejected this word.) For the syntax of numerals, see THREE. GROUP OF TEN (10 similar things) maquat (actually the dual form of maqua "hand", referring to the ten fingers on both hands). Ordinal TENTH quainëa. The fraction ONE TENTH is given as caista (and cast) in VT48:11, but since Tolkien later decided that the word for "ten" was to have the initial sound qu- rather than c-, we must apparently read *quaista (and *quast, but normally Quenya words do not end in consonant clusters). –VT48:6, 11, VT47:7, VT42:25, cf. KAYAN, KAYAR -
9 WITH
For the purpose of Neo-Quenya writing, the best translation of "with" (in the sense of "together with") is probably \#as, attested with a pronominal suffix (see below). A string of various prepositional elements meaning "with" are attested, but all are probably not meant to coexist in the same form of Quenya; rather Tolkien often changed his mind about the details. The preposition lé, le found in early material (QL:52) is probably best avoided in LotR-style Quenya (in which langauge le is rather the pronoun "you"). Tolkien later seems to be experimenting with yo and ó/o as words for "with"; yo hildinyar in SD:56 probably means *"with my heirs", and VT43:29 reproduces a table where various pronouns are suffixed to ó-, probably meaning "with" (óni *"with me", ólë *"with you", etc.) In the essay Quendi and Eldar, Tolkien assigns a dual meaning to ó- as a prefix; it was used "in words describing the meeting, junction, or union of two things or persons, or of two groups thought of as units" (WJ:367; cf. 361 regarding the underlying stem WO, said to be a dual adverb "together"). The plural equivalent of dual ó- is yo- (as in yomenië, WJ:407 cf. 361 regarding the underlying root JŌ), and it may seem to be this yo that occurs as an independent preposition in yo hildinyar in SD:56. The idea that ó- is a distinctly dual form does not appear in all sources; in VT43:29 we have forms like *ómë *"with us", implying at least three persons. In Tolkien's drafts for a Quenya rendering of the Hail Mary, he experimented with various prepositional elements for the phrase "with thee" (see VT43:29). A form carelyë was replaced with aselyë in the final version. Removing the ending -lyë "thee" and the connecting vowel before it leaves us with \#as as the word (or a word) for "with"; this is ultimately related to the conjunction ar "and" (see VT43:30, 47:31). – In English, the preposition "with" may also have an instrumental force, which is best rendered by the Quenya instrumental case (e.g. *nambanen "with [= using] a hammer"). -
10 AUTHORITY
Máhan (pl Máhani is given, but seems perfectly regular). Tolkien once stated that Valar should strictly be translated "the Authorities" (MR:350), but Vala obviously cannot be used to translate "authority" in general; it was used only of the Valar themselves (WJ:404). Cf. also adj. valya "having (divine) authority or power". Máhani was adopted from Valarin and originally probably referred to the Valar themselves. We are not told whether Máhan could or should be applied to a non-divine authority (at least it should not be capitalized if so used). Note: Máhan means *"Supreme One" rather than "authority" as an abstract. –MR:350, BAL, WJ:399/402 -
11 DECIMAL SYSTEM
(in counting) maquanotië. Another source gives a word for "decimal system" as caistanótië, incorporating caista "10th", but since Tolkien later decided that the initial sound of words having to do with "10" should be qu- rather than c-, we must apparently read *quaistanótië. But maquanótië (a form requiring no changes) may be preferred. –VT47:10, VT48:11 -
12 HERE
sís, sissë; also sinomë “here, in this place”. The form si listed in VT49:33 is defined “here”, but this may be a basic root rather than a Quenya word. Símen is used for “here” in Fíriel’s Song (LR:72), but in VT49:33, simen is translated “hither”. –VT49:18, LotR:1003, 1004 -
13 HISTORY
nyárë (tale, saga), quenta (narrative, story), quentalë (account, narration), lúmequentalë, lúmequenta (chronological account), HISTORICAL lúmequentalëa. (In VT39:16, quentalë is defined as "narration" or "History", used as an abstract referring to universal History, but also used with particular reference; hence "the history of the Noldor" can be quentalë Noldoron or quentalë Noldorinwa, but this refers to the real events rather than an account of them: that part of universal History which concerned the Noldor.) HISTORICAL ACCOUNT quentasta (any particular arrangement, by some author, of a series of reconds or evidences into a given historical account – not History as such, which is quentalë). THE HISTORY OF THE ELVES I·Eldanyárë –NAR2, KWET/VT39:16, LU, LR:199 -
14 HORN
rassë, rasco ("especially on living animal, but also applied to mountains". Cf. Rasmund "horned bull" in Letters:423 [this seems like Sindarin rather than Quenya] and Arfanyaras, Arfanyarassë "high white-shining peak [*horn]", alternative name of Taniquetil), romba (so in Etym and one place in WJ [p. 400: romba = "horn, trumpet"] but on p. 368 róma is used for "horn", though this is glossed "trumpet-sound" in Etym), HORN OF ULMO hyalma (shell, conch), tildë (point), (horn of animal:) tarca (probably obsoleting taru in LT2); HORNED tarucca (perhaps obsoleted together with taru), THE HORNED Tilion (a name of the Moon) –RAS/VT46:10, WJ:403/416, ROM/WJ:401 contrast 368, SYAL, TIL, TARÁK, LT2:337,347, Silm:438 -
15 IF
qui (in some texts cé or ce, but the latter form Tolkien defined as “may be” elsewhere); IF ANYBODY aiquen (whoever). IF IT BE SO cenasit, cenasit (may be, perhaps), IF IT BE THAT cenai (but this word probably presupposes cé, ce rather than qui, as the word for “if”). –VT49:19, PE14:59, WJ:372 -
16 ONLY
er (but, still). In later sources, er is rather presented as the numeral “one”. Cf. also eressë (singly, alone, but in Tolkien’s later Quenya used as noun = solitude) –LT1:269, ERE -
17 WOOD
toa (probably "wood" as a material rather than "wood" = "forest"; not to be confused with the homophone adj. toa "of wool, woollen"), GREAT WOOD taurë (pl. tauri is attested) (forest), wood as material: tavar (also toa), rough piece of wood: runda, piece of shaped wood: pano, smouldering wood (ember): yulmë (Note: yulmë also means "drinking, carousal") firewood: turu ("firewood" was the proper meaning, but the word was used for "wood" in general); OF WOOD taurina, WOODEN turúva, WOODEN POST samna (Þ); WOODEN HALL ampano, WOODPECKER tambaro, WOODLAND tavas (LT1:261 also gives nan(d), but this means "valley" in LotR-style Quenya.) –VT39:6, TÁWAR/Silm:438/MC:222 cf. 215, RUD, PAN, YUL, LT1:270, STAB, TAM, LT1:267 -
18 CARRY
– GL:38 has yulu-, but in WJ:416 the same stem (there spelt JULU) is said to mean "drink", indicating that yulu- "carry" had probably been abandoned in Tolkien's later Quenya. Use rather \#col-; see BEAR. -
19 CHIEF
(adj) héra (principal); CHIEF (noun) \#turco (isolated from Turcomund "chief of bulls, *chief bull"; this may not be pure Quenya, but Turco appears as a the short name of Turcafinwë, Celegorm's Quenya name – though that is translated "strong, powerful (in body)" rather than referring to more "political" power) –KHER, Letters:423, PM:352 -
20 CONSONANT
\#pataca (only pl. patacar is attested), \#lambetengwë (literally "tongue-sign"; only pl. lambetengwi is attested; this refers to consonants as tengwi or phonemes), also náva-tengwë ("ñava-") (literally "mouth-sign"; only pl. náva-tengwi is attested; the shorter form \#návëa pl. návëar was also used, but Fëanor replaced these terms with \#pataca). Yet another term for "consonant" was \#tapta tengwë "impeded element". (Only pl. tapta tengwi is attested; we would rather expect *taptë tengwi with the pl. form of the adjective. The nominal pl. of the adjective, taptar, was used in the same sense as tapta tengwi.) Tolkien also notes: "Since...in the mode of spelling commonly used the full signs were consonantal, in ordinary non-technical use tengwar [sg tengwa, see LETTER] became equivalent to 'consonants'." Cf. also surya "spirant consonant" and punta "stopped consonant", i.e. a consonant sign with an underposed dot to indiate that it is not followed by a vowel. –VT39:8, VT39:16, 17, WJ:396, SUS, PUT (see PUS), VT46:10, 33
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