Parma Eldalamberon
| Parma Eldalamberon "The Book of Elven-tongues" |
|---|
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| Latest editor: Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, Carl F. Hostetter and others |
| Latest Issue: 22 |
| Website: Eldalamberon |
| Publication Information |
| Publisher: Issue 1-5: Mythopoeic Society Since issue 6: Elvish Linguistic Fellowship |
| Frequency: Irregular |
| Format: Paperback, print on demand |
- "Just consider the splendour of the words! . . . What a pondering of alternatives within one’s choice before the final decision in favour of the daring and unusual prefix, so personal, so attractive; the final solution of some element in a design that had hitherto proved refractory."
- ― J.R.R. Tolkien, A Secret Vice
Parma Eldalamberon, Parma, or PE for short, is a linguistic journal dedicated to the scholarly study of the invented languages of J.R.R. Tolkien. It was first published by the Mythopoeic Society, then by the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship since issue 6.
The name Parma Eldalamberon is a Neo-Quenya rendering of "The Book of Elven-tongues", which is consist of parma "book", elda "Elf", and lambë "tongue, language". However, like with Vinyar Tengwar, the rendering is questionable as PE 18 gives the genitive plural of lambë as lambion[1] instead of lamberon.
History[edit | edit source]
Parma Eldalamberon was started in 1971, as an irregular periodical published by the Mythopoeic Linguistic Fellowship (M.L.F.) of the Mythopoeic Society. The first editor was Paula Marmor. It ran for five issues, ending in 1977, but resulted in the landmark book An Introduction to Elvish. Of that book Paula Marmor was co-author, several other co-authors, Bill Welden, Christopher Gilson, Lawrence J. Krieg, and editor Jim Allan, were regular contributors to Parma and parts of it had grown from their articles in the journal. The publication of The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien made most of the discussions outdated, however, and the project was shelved.
Another regular contributor was Robert Foster, who had already published his Guide to Middle-earth, which he revised and extended to The Complete Guide to Middle-earth after the publication of The Silmarillion.
Six years later, in 1983, Chris Gilson revived Parma. He kept the original name, despite the fact that the increase in Quenya material gave the correct translation as Parma Eldalambion. Gilson published Parma outside the Linguistic Fellowship,[2] but after the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship (E.L.F.) was founded it became associated with that organisation.
In 1991, Christopher Tolkien approved of Parma publishing original text by Tolkien, especially the long linguistic texts for which he could find no place in The History of Middle-earth.[3]
In the meantime, Vinyar Tengwar also started publishing Tolkien's original texts. Now, they are both edited by more or less the same team, and Parma specializes in the longer wordlists, while Vinyar Tengwar publishes Tolkien's essays.[4]
List of issues[edit | edit source]
- 1971: Parma Eldalamberon 1
- 1972: Parma Eldalamberon 2
- 1973: Parma Eldalamberon 3
- 1974: Parma Eldalamberon 4
- 1977: Parma Eldalamberon 5
- 1983: Parma Eldalamberon 6
- 1988: Parma Eldalamberon 7
- 1989: Parma Eldalamberon 8
- 1990: Parma Eldalamberon 9
- 1994: Parma Eldalamberon 10
Since issue 11, the journal has been dedicated to publishing Tolkien's original materials:
- 1995: Parma Eldalamberon 11:
- I·Lam na·Ngoldathon: The Grammar and Lexicon of The Gnomish Tongue
- 1998: Parma Eldalamberon 12:
- Qenyaqetsa: The Qenya Phonology and Lexicon
- 2001: Parma Eldalamberon 13:
- The Alphabet of Rúmil and Early Noldorin Fragments
- 2003: Parma Eldalamberon 14:
- Early Qenya and Valmaric
- 2004: Parma Eldalamberon 15:
- Sí Qente Feanor and Other Elvish Writings
- 2006: Parma Eldalamberon 16:
- Early Elvish Poetry and Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets
- 2007: Parma Eldalamberon 17:
- Words, Phrases, and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings
- 2009: Parma Eldalamberon 18:
- Tengwesta Qenderinwa and Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets, Part 2
- 2010: Parma Eldalamberon 19:
- Quenya Phonology
- 2012: Parma Eldalamberon 20:
- The Qenya Alphabet
- 2013: Parma Eldalamberon 21:
- Qenya Noun Structure
- 2015: Parma Eldalamberon 22:
- The Feanorian Alphabet, Part 1; Quenya Verb Structure
Future and back issues[edit | edit source]
It's known that PE 23 and 24 are in the works, and their publication shouldn't be too far off. For back issues, though most are currently out of print, their reprints can be expected, it's just that it'll probably take a longer time.[5]
See also[edit | edit source]
- Vinyar Tengwar, a sibling publication of Parma Eldalamberon
External links[edit | edit source]
- The official website
- Parma Eldalamberon Errata
- Official Facebook page (currently inactive)
- List of previously unpublished contents in VT and PE at TolkienBooks.net
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Tengwesta Qenderinwa and Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets Part 2", in Parma Eldalamberon XVIII (edited by Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, and Patrick H. Wynne), pp. 8, 71
- ↑ David Doughan, "Book Reviews: Parma Eldalamberon 6", in: Quettar 21 (November 1984), p. 8
- ↑ Christopher Gilson, "Foreword", in: Parma Eldalamberon 11 (1995), p. 2
- ↑ David Bratman, "Posthumous Publications", in: J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia (edited by Michael D.C. Drout), p. 547-8
- ↑ Carl Hostetter on Reddit
