Vocabulary from Part 1

Course Index  

I'm not expecting you to memorize this.   You may find it handy to have all the words we have been using all on one page.

Nouns

celva        animal

orva         apple

aiwë         (small) bird

piucca       berry, blackberry

parma        book

hína         child

vinë         young child

nórië        country

yaxë         cow

huo          dog

fenda        door

lócë         dragon

Casar        Dwarf

Elda         High Elf

atar         father

lingwë       fish

lótë         flower

taurë        forest

meldo        friend (male)

meldë        friend (female)

yávë         fruit

nyéni        female goat

hildo        heir

már          home

Már is discussed in more detail under Noun Stems.

Atan         Human

mírë         jewel

aran         king

otorno       kinsman, male associate

osellë       kinswoman, female associate

sicil        knife

heri         lady

lassë        leaf

Maia

Endórë       Middle-Earth

hísië        mist

ammë, emmë   mother

tië          path

tári         high queen

ëar          sea

cirya        ship

laupë        shirt, tunic

yondo        son

Anar         Sun

alqua        swan

alda         tree

Vala

limpë        wine

Ambar        the World

Adjectives

sina      this

tana      that

morë      black

helwa     pale blue

laica     green

carnë     red

ninquë    white

varnë     brown

sindë     grey

calima    bright

vanya     beautiful (of looks)

linda     beautiful (of sound)

lissë     sweet (of taste)

melda     dear, sweet, beloved

added February 18, 2012:

Verbs

tulta-   bring                   (past tense tultanë)

holta-   close                   (past tense holtanë)

tul-     come                    (past tense tullë)

tur-     control, govern, rule   (past tense turnë)

not-     count                   (past tense nontë)

rista-   cut                     (past tense ristanë)

car-     do, make                (past tense carnë)

mat-     eat                     (past tense mantë)

lanta-   fall                    (past tense lantanë)

hir–     find                    (past tense hirnë)

anta-    give                    (past tense antanë)

mar-     live (at a location)    (past tense marnë)

harya-   possess                 (past tense harnë)

ulya-    pour                    (past tense ulyanë)

cen-     see                     (past tense cennë)

har-     sit                     (past tense handanë)

pet-     whack                   (past tense pentë)

harna-   wound                   (past tense harnanë)

added February 27, 2012:

"Is" (aorist present tense) is ná.  It is an irregular verb. Look up its other forms in your downloaded verb chart.

added February 18, 2012:

Other Words

ar   and

cé   maybe

added February 18, 2012:

Pronoun Endings for Verbs

-nyë, -n          I

-lyë, -l          you (one person, formal/polite)

-tyë              you (one person, informal/familiar)

-ldë              you (a group)

-s, (rarely -së)  he/she/it /genderless singular

-ltë (variant: -ntë)  they (plural)

added February 18, 2012:

Possessive pronouns

-(i)nya   my

-(e)lya   your (one person, formal/polite)

-(e)tya   your (one person, informal/familiar)

-(e)lda   your (a group)

-(e)rya   his/her/its/genderless singular

-(e)lta   their (plural)

Possessive Pronouns (“my”, “your”, “his”)

  « Pronouns «        Course Index        Samples         » Adjectives »    

Possessive pronouns aren't actually separate words in Quenya.  They are endings tacked onto the word.

The possessive pronoun goes directly after the noun, and before any other endings.

If the noun ends in a consonant, you need to add a vowel between the noun and the ending (in order to get something pronounceable).  Probably that vowel is -i- for “my” and -e- for all the others, though Tolkien did not leave explicit instructions, and there are only a few examples.

   after      after

   vowel    consonant

   -nya     -inya   my

   -lya     -elya   your (one person, formal/polite)

   -tya     -etya   your (one person, informal/familiar)

   -lda     -elda   your (a group's)

   -rya     -erya   his/her/its

   -lta     -elta   their (a group's)

   parma (book) → parmalya (your book, sir)

   Anar (Sun) →   Anarinya (my Sun, a word Tolkien used in a poem)

   aran (king) →  aranelda (your – a group's – king)

«‹◊›»

Combining the possessive pronoun with a plural (“my books”) is trickier.  Remember the part about 'the possessive is added before any other ending'?  That includes plural!

First add the possessive ending.  (If an extra vowel is needed, it will always be -i-.) Then make the whole word plural by adding -r.

   after      after

   vowel    consonant

   -nyar    -inyar   my

   -lyar    -ilyar   your (one person, formal/polite)

   -tyar    -ityar   your (one person, informal/familiar)

   -ldar    -ildar   your (a group)

   -ryar    -iryar   his/her/its

   -ltar    -iltar   their (a group)

   hildo (heir) → hildinyar (my heirs)  (Tolkien wrote it hildinyar, rather than hildonyar.  Tolkien was not always perfectly consistent.)

There are situations where you might have even more endings added to a word.

Extra Material for the Geeks:

Tolkien modeled Quenya after Finnish, where you can easily have half a sentence expressed in one word.

«‹◊›»

Practice – Your Turn

Highlight the shaded boxes to see the answers. 

┌─────────────────┐

│useful vocabulary│

│ celva  animal   │

│ huo    dog      │

│ yaxë   cow      │

│ orva   apple    │

│ lótë   flower   │

│ aran   king     │

│ már    home     │

│ sicil  knife    │

└─────────────────┘

my dog                     huonya

my home                    márinya

We continue to assume that már is "regular." Some analysts make the case that "my home" would be mardinya.

your apple (formal)        orvalya

your knife (formal)        sicilelya

your flower (familiar)     lótetya

your flowers (familiar)    lótityar

your king (familiar)       aranetya

your (a group's) animals   celvalda

your (a group's) home      márelda

her cow                    yaxerya

his dog                    huorya

his dogs                   huoryar

his king                   aranerya

her knives                 siciliryar

their cow                  yaxelta

their homes                máriltar

«‹◊›»

Extra Material for the Geeks:

Here are some fun “short forms” of possessive pronouns.

   -ya    his/her/its (colloquial)

Using -ya (instead of -rya) for his/her/its would be common but sloppy – something you might hear on the playground, but would get marked down for writing on your homework.  This is probably a case of consonants (especially r) being softened when spoken.

There are also examples of -ya meaning “my”, in informal, affectionate forms of address.

   ammë, emmë (mother) →  emya (mommy)

   atar (father) →           atya (daddy)

   hína (child) →            hinya (my child)

   yondo (son) →           yonya (my son)

   aran (king) →           aranya (my king)

These forms are used only when speaking to the person.  If you were telling someone else about “my father” or "my son", you would use the complete form:  atarinya, yondonya.

And, as long as we are being friendly, here are some other c0mmon forms of endearment:

   tye (thou) →          tyenya (my kinsman/kinswoman)

   meldo (friend, male) →  meldonya (my friend, male)

   meldë (friend, female) → meldenya (my friend, female)

 « Pronouns «        Course Index         Samples        » Adjectives »    

Pronouns

 « Plurals «        Course Index         » Possessive Pronouns »
  

English has the pronouns "me", "we", "you", "he", "she", "it", and "they", plus the archaic "thou" and "ye".   Quenya has more, because it makes some distinctions that English does not make.   This lesson we will only look at some of the simpler Quenya pronouns, and leave the rest for a later lesson.

Quenya pronouns do not distinguish between males and females (“him” vs. “her”).

Quenya does make the distinction between formal/polite “you” and informal/familiar “you”.  (Think Spanish tu vs. usted; French tu vs. vous; German du vs. sie.) English used to have this distinction:   “you” was formal, and “thou” was familiar.   

 

Extra Material for the Geeks:

Yes, people are often confused that "thou" is the familiar, rather than the formal.   The confusion is probably because nowadays "thou" shows up in old-fashioned prayers.   Those prayers really were, originally, addressing God in the form used for a close friend.   You may take that as strange, or as profound.

In Tolkien's notes, he uses the word "thou" as singular,and "you" frequently as plural.   He uses both words ("thou" and "you") for both "familiar" and "formal," generally explaining in each situation whether it is "familiar" or "formal."

Presumably in Quenya, as in human languages, it would be patronizing and insulting to use the "familiar" in the wrong setting.   Use the "formal" when speaking to the king, unless you are close family (or possibly late in a beer-drinking session).  

Extra Material for the Geeks:

Tolkien gave us several examples of the distinction between formal ("you") and familiar ("thou"), at least in the 'Common' language.

For example, consider the Mouth of Sauron (Return of the King, Chapter 10, "The Black Gate Opens"), being deliberately provocative to the Captains of the West:

"'Is there anyone in this rout with authority to treat with me?' he asked.   'Or indeed with wit to understand me?   Not thou at least!' he mocked, turning to Aragorn with scorn.

...

{to Gandalf} 'Then thou art the spokesman, old greybeard?   Have we not heard of thee at whiles, and of thy wanderings, ever hatching plots and mischief at a safe distance?'

The Mouth of Sauron is being patronizing and insulting, using "familiar" when the more respectful "formal" is appropriate

On the other hand, the few occasions when Aragorn addresses Eowyn with "thee," it is with genuine tenderness.

Tolkien describes, in Appendix F, the hobbits' confusion with pronouns:

"The Westron {'Common'} tongue made in the pronouns of the second person (and often also in those of the third) a distinction, independent of number, between 'familiar' and 'deferential' forms.  It was, however, one of the peculiarities of Shire-usage that the deferential forms had gone out of colloquial use.  They lingered only among the villagers, especially of the West-farthing, who used them as endearments.  This was one of the things referred to when people of Gondor spoke of the strangeness of Hobbit-speech.  Peregrin Took, for instance, in his first few days in Minas Tirith used the familiar forms to people of all ranks, including the Lord Denethor himself.  This may have amused the aged Steward, but it must have astonished his servants.  No doubt this free use of the familiar forms helped to spread the popular rumour that Peregrin was a person of very high rank in his own country.

 « Plurals «        Course Index          » Possessive Pronouns »