Common Eldarin: Difference between revisions
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'''Common Eldarin''' is the tongue of the ancient [[Eldar]] of the [[Great March]]. It is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_common_ancestor last common ancestor] of all known [[Elvish]] languages (broken in [[Quenya]] and [[Common Telerin]] branches). | '''Common Eldarin''' is the tongue of the ancient [[Eldar]] of the [[Great March]]. It is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_common_ancestor last common ancestor] of all known [[Elvish]] languages (broken in [[Quenya]] and [[Common Telerin]] branches). | ||
==Grammatical note== | |||
Common Eldarin presented the ending of -r as a plural marker ofr uninflected verbal stems.<ref>{{PE|19}}, p. 103</ref> | |||
==Origin== | ==Origin== | ||
Common [[Eldarin]] is an evolution of [[Primitive Quendian]], the original language of all [[Quendi]], or Elves, until the Eldar left [[Cuiviénen]] for [[Valinor]]. As the years passed, the language of those traveler Elves became a little different than the one spoken before the March. By the time they reached [[Beleriand]], dialects had already been formed. | Common [[Eldarin]] is an evolution of [[Primitive Quendian]], the original language of all [[Quendi]], or Elves, until the Eldar left [[Cuiviénen]] for [[Valinor]]. As the years passed, the language of those traveler Elves became a little different than the one spoken before the March. By the time they reached [[Beleriand]], dialects had already been formed. | ||
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:PQ: ''[[maȝtâ]]'' (root [[MAȜ]]) > CE: ''[[mahtâ]]'' (pronounced ''machta'') | :PQ: ''[[maȝtâ]]'' (root [[MAȜ]]) > CE: ''[[mahtâ]]'' (pronounced ''machta'') | ||
;Final short ''-a, -e, -o'' are lost, sometimes producing a long monosyllable as their trace | ;Final short ''-a, -e, -o'' are [[apocope|lost]], sometimes producing a long monosyllable as their trace | ||
:PQ: ''[[ndêro]]'' > CE: ''[[ndæ^r|ndæ̂r]]''<ref>{{HM|LR}}, ''[[The Etymologies]]'' root [[NDER]]</ref> (''[[kwende]]'' > ''[[quendë]]'' is an exception) | :PQ: ''[[ndêro]]'' > CE: ''[[ndæ^r|ndæ̂r]]''<ref>{{HM|LR}}, ''[[The Etymologies]]'' root [[NDER]]</ref> | ||
:(''[[kwende]]'' > ''[[quendë]]'' is an exception) | |||
;Final short ''-i, -u'' became ''-e, -o'' | ;Final short ''-i, -u'' became ''-e, -o'' | ||
:PQ: ''[[maȝiti]]'' > CE: *''maȝite'' | :PQ: ''[[maȝiti]]'' > CE: *''maȝite'' | ||
:PQ: ''[[ranku]]'' > CE: *''[[ | :PQ: ''[[RAK|ranku]]'' > CE: *''[[ranko]]'' | ||
;Other minor changes | ;Other minor changes |
Revision as of 21:47, 5 August 2013
Common Eldarin is the tongue of the ancient Eldar of the Great March. It is the last common ancestor of all known Elvish languages (broken in Quenya and Common Telerin branches).
Grammatical note
Common Eldarin presented the ending of -r as a plural marker ofr uninflected verbal stems.[1]
Origin
Common Eldarin is an evolution of Primitive Quendian, the original language of all Quendi, or Elves, until the Eldar left Cuiviénen for Valinor. As the years passed, the language of those traveler Elves became a little different than the one spoken before the March. By the time they reached Beleriand, dialects had already been formed.
Since the Eldar dominate the annals of the Elder Days, all the Elvish languages that appear, come from this branch. The Avarin languages possibly followed a wholly different evolution, outside Common Eldarin, and the changes presented here, may not have applied during the evolution of their languages.
At least at one point, the changes reflected coexisting alternative forms of PQ. For example, the pairs of endings -ô (m), -ê (f) and -û (m), -î (f). This is mirrored in the evolution of short -u becoming -o and the short -i becoming -e.
Evolution from Primitive Quendian
During the Great March, minor changes to the Primitive Quendian brought the later Eldarin languages. These changes had to do with several developments of the word-forms, usually normalization. For example:
- "Difficult" consonant clusters, usually those with nasals (like bm and dn), were rearranged
- PQ: labmâ (root LAB) > CE: lambâ
- PQ: stabnê (Root STAB) > CE stambê
- Final short -a, -e, -o are lost, sometimes producing a long monosyllable as their trace
- PQ: ndêro > CE: ndæ̂r[2]
- (kwende > quendë is an exception)
- a infiction in some stems which produced new diphthongs like ae, ao
- PQ: *melâ (Root MEL) > CE *maelâ[3]
- final long -â, -ê, -î, -ô, -û became short (later stage)
- CE: stambê > stambe
- CE: mahtâ > mahta
- CE: lambâ > lamba
At some point, dialects separated the uniformity of that language, and produced the Common Telerin branch.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Quenya Phonology", in Parma Eldalamberon XIX (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 103
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, The Etymologies root NDER
- ↑ Vinyar Tengwar 39 p. 10