nom. sg. gen. sg. ara n king ara n o of king vilwari n butterfly vilwari nd o of butterfly oro n mountain oro nt o of mountain
sound change ‘laws’ : for instance, the disappearance of [g] between vowels is such a law of Quenya historical grammar. Most of the apparent irregularities of Quenya morphology can be explained with reference to such laws, and it is therefore useful to have some familiarity with them. Reference to the sections below will be made throughout the morphology.
Consonants
Initial Consonant Groups
Combinations with Y
CE PQ NTQ VTQ kj c c *tʃ kʰj ç ç ʃ gj lj lj lj ŋj nj nj nj
*Also in Númenórean Quenya
Combinations with W
CE PQ NTQ VTQ kw kw kw kw kʰw xʷ xʷ f gw w v w ŋw ŋw ŋw *nw
*Also in Númenórean Quenya
Nasalized Groups
CE PQ NTQ VTQ mb m m m ṃb umb umb umb nd n n n ṇd and and and ŋg ŋ ŋ n ŋ̇g iŋg iŋg iŋg ŋgj nj nj nj ŋ̇gj indj inj indʒ ŋgw ŋw ŋw *nw ŋ̇gw uŋgw uŋgw uŋgw
*Also in Númenórean Quenya
Combinations with S
CE PQ NTQ VTQ sp → ps ps s, ups s, ups sp f f f ṣp ups ups ups st θ s θ ṣt ist ist ist sk → ks ks s, iks s, iks sk h h h ṣk iks iks iks sm m m m sn n n n sr ̥r r ~ *̥r ̥r sl ɬ l ~ *ɬ ɬ sj ç ç ʃ sw xʷ xʷ f
*Colloquial Sindarin influence
Combinations with D, G
CE PQ NTQ VTQ dl l l l dr r r r gl l, ωl l l gr r, ωr r r
Voiceless Stops
CE PQ NTQ VTQ p p p p pp(ʰ) pp pp pp pt(ʰ) ɸt ʍt ɸt ps ps ps ps pm → mp mp mp mp pm pp pp pp pn ɸt ʍt ɸt pl → lp lp lp lp pl pηl pηl pηl --- pl → pωl pωl pωl pr → rp rp rp rp pr ps ps ps --- pr → par par par pj pj pj pʃ pw pp pp pp
CE PQ NTQ VTQ Comments t t t t tt st st st from suffixial t tt tt tt tt from fortified t tk kk kk kk ts ts ss ss tm tw tw tw tn → nt nt nt nt tn tt tt tt tl → lt lt lt lt tl tηl tηl tηl --- tl → lt lt lt --- tl → tωl tωl tωl tr → rt rt rt rt tr ts ss ss --- tr → tar tar tar tj c c tʃ tw tw tw tw
CE PQ NTQ VTQ k k k k kt χt χt χt kk kk kk kk ks ks ks ks km kw kw kw kn → nk ŋk ŋk ŋk kn χt χt χt kl → lk lk lk lk kl kηl kηl kηl --- kl → lk lk lk --- kl → kωl kωl kωl kr → rk rk rk rk kr ks ks ks --- kr → kar kar kar kj c c tʃ kw kw kw kw
Voiceless Aspirates
CE PQ NTQ VTQ Comments pʰ ɸ f ɸ pʰ h h h before u pʰp(ʰ) pp pp pp pʰt(ʰ) ɸt ʍt ɸt pʰs ps ps ps pʰm pp pp pp no known case1 pʰn ɸt ʍt ɸt pʰl → lpʰ lp lp lp pʰl ɸηl fηl ɸηl --- pʰl → ɸωl fωl ɸωl pʰr → rpʰ rp rp rp pʰr ps ps ps --- ɸr → ɸar far ɸar pʰj ɸj fj ɸj pʰw pp pp pp
CE PQ NTQ VTQ tʰ θ s θ tʰt(ʰ) tt tt tt tʰk(ʰ) kk kk kk tʰs ts ss ss tʰm tw tw tw tʰn tt tt > st tt tʰl → ltʰ lt lt lt tʰl θηl sηl θηl --- θl → lt lt lt --- θl → θωl sωl θωl tʰr → rtʰ rt rt rt tʰr ts ss ss --- rθ → θar sar θar tʰj θj ʃ θj tʰw θw sw θw
CE PQ NTQ VTQ kʰ χ h h kʰt(ʰ) χt χt χt kʰk(ʰ) kk kk kk kʰs ks ks ks kʰm kw kw kw kʰn χt χt χt kʰl → lkʰ lk lk lk kʰl χηl hηl hηl --- χl → χωl hωl hωl kʰr → rkʰ rk rk rk kʰr ks ks ks --- χr → χar har har kʰj çç ç ʃ kʰw xxʷ xʷ ff
Voiced Stops
CE PQ NTQ VTQ b β v β bt(ʰ) ɸt ʍt ɸt --- βt → wt wt wt bs ps ps > ws (wr) ps > ws (wz) bb pp pp pp bd ɸt ʍt ɸt bm mm mm > wm mm > wm bn mn mn > wn mn > wn bl wl wl wl --- βl → βul vul βul br wr wr wr --- βr → βar var βar bj wj wj wj --- βj → βi vi βi bw wv wv wv
CE PQ NTQ VTQ Comments d ɹ r z d l l l after r and a vowel dt(ʰ) st st > rt st ds ts ss ss dd st st st from suffixial t dd tt tt tt from fortified t dm nw nw > rm nw > mb dn nn nn > rn nn ~ nd dl ɹl ll, ld ll, ld --- ðl → lð ld ld dr ɹr rr rr dj lj lj lj dw ɹw rw zw
CE PQ NTQ VTQ Comments g --- --- --- g j j j after e, i g d d d before final e < j gt(ʰ) χt χt χt --- gt(ʰ) → ήt ήt ήt gs ks → ss ks, s ks, ss --- gs → ήs ήs ήs gd χt χt χt gg kk kk kk gm ŋm ῆm → ήm ῆm → ήm gn ŋn nn → ήn nn after e, a, o gn ŋn ῆn nn after i, u gl ήl ήl ήl gr ήr ήr ήr gj jj jj jj gj ɟj j dʒ after n, r, l gw ww ww ww gw w w w → b after r, l
Nasals
CE PQ NTQ VTQ Comments n n n n np mp mp mp nt nt nt nt nk ŋk ŋk ŋk ntʰ tt tt > ss tt --- nθ → nt nt > ss nt ns ss ss > rr, rn, ns ~ ss ss > nz nn nn nn nn ~ nd from suffixial n nn nd nd ~ *nn nd from fortified n nm mm mm mm ~ mb in compounds nm nw nw nw from suffixial m nl → ln ld ld ld rare nl ll ll ll --- nl → nηl nηl nηl nr → rn rn rn rn nr rr rr rr --- nr → nar nar nar nj nj nj nj nw nw nw nw
CE PQ NTQ VTQ Comments m m m m mp mp mp mp mt nt nt nt mk ŋk ŋk ŋk mpʰ pp pp pp ms ss ss ss mm mm mm mm ~ mb from suffixial m mm mb mb ~ *mm mb from fortified m mn mn nn mn ml → lm lm lm lm ml mul mul mul mr → rm rm rm rn mr mar mar mar mj mj mj nj mw nw nw nw
CE PQ NTQ VTQ Comments ŋ --- --- --- ŋm ῆn ῆn ήn ŋn ῆn ῆn ήn after i, u ŋn nn nn > ήn nn after a, e, o ŋŋ ŋg ŋg ŋg ŋj ndj nj ndʒ ŋw ŋgw ŋgw ŋgw
*Colloquial Sindarin influence
Liquids
CE PQ NTQ VTQ Comments lp(ʰ) lp lp lp lt(ʰ) lt lt lt lk(ʰ) lk lk lk lb lβ lv lb ld ld ld ld lg lɣ ll lg lg lj lj lj before e ls ls ls ls ln ld ld ld lm lm lm lm lŋ lŋ lg lg lr ll ll ll lj lj lj lj lw lw lw lw ~ lb
CE PQ NTQ VTQ Comments rp(ʰ) rp rp rp rt(ʰ) rt rt rt rk(ʰ) rk rk rk rb rβ rv rb rd rd rd rd rg rɣ rr rg rg rj rj rj before e rs rs ss ss rn rn rn rn rm rm rm rm rŋ rŋ rg rg rl ll ll ll rj rj rj rj rw rw rw rw ~ rb
Sibilants
CE PQ NTQ VTQ Comments s z r z between vowels s s s s before p, t, k, s sb → zb sp, ps sp, ps sp, ps sd → zd st st st sg → zg sk, ks sk, ks sk, ks sm mm mm > rm mb sn nn nn > rn nd sl → ls ls ls ls sl ll ll ll --- zl → zηl rηl zηl sr → rs rs ss ss sr ss ss ss --- zr → rr rr rr --- --- zr → sar zr → zar sj zj rj ʒ sw zw rw zw
Consonants at Word End
Nasals
Liquids
CE PQ NTQ VTQ Comments r r r l l l j e e e after a consonant j --- --- --- after a long vowel w o o o after a consonant w --- --- --- after a long vowel
Fricatives
Stops
CE PQ NTQ VTQ t t s s th t s s d r r r k t s s p t s s
Groups
CE PQ NTQ nt nt n nd n n mb n n ŋg n n ps s s ts s s ks s s ss s s st s s ht t t
Vowels