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Elvish

lesson one : introduction

Man i vent o istol Edhellen? (What is the point of knowing Elvish?)

To discuss the beginnings of Sindarin, a fictional language in a fictional world, it is necessary to examine two histories: that of the author's creation and that of the fictional world itself. Sindarin, as with Quenya, began as a linguistic exercise for Tolkien. He started with the influence of Welsh and Gaelic, and tried to derive a language concerned with a certain degree fluidity and a strong lyrical quality. To that end, it is my opinion that whenever you are presented with more than one method of saying a certain phrase, you should choose the one that sounds the 'prettiest' in the context of your sentence. In other words, try to avoid harsh 'stops' formed by consecutive consonants. This will be discussed further throughout these lessons.

When Tolkien first began developing the language that would become Sindarin, he called it 'Noldorin' (this reference is kept in the Etymologies). He intended it, initially, to be the language the Noldor spoke in Aman before coming to Middle-Earth. It wasn't until finishing Lord of the Rings that Quenya became the language spoken in Aman, and Noldorin became Sindarin, the language of the Sindar, those Elves who remained in Beleriand and never journeyed to Aman. As a result, the Noldorin presented in the Etymologies is similar in most ways to Sindarin, but the two are not identical.

In the mythology of Middle-Earth, of course, no such disparity exists and Noldorin was never a language. "The Grey-elven was in origin akin to Quenya," Tolkien explains, "for it was the language of those Eldar who, coming to the shores of Middle-earth, had not passed over the Sea but had lingered on the coasts in the country of Beleriand. There Thingol Greycloak of Doriath was their king, and in the long twilight their tongue...had become far estranged from the speech of the Eldar from beyond the Sea" (Lord of the Rings, Appendix F). What this means is that by the time the Noldor fled Aman and returned to Middle-Earth, Sindarin was a well-established language and very different from the Quenya they knew.

Out of respect for their new hosts, and partly out of a sense of necessity, the Noldor learned Sindarin very quickly -- even to the point of renaming themselves with Sindarin names. This is why Elves such as Galadriel have names in Sindarin despite their origins. However, this name change was not always accurate, and so some of the First Age Elves' names are either incomplete translations or, in some cases, simply phonetic reconstructions. (In other words, don't be surprised if you try to translate Turgon's name and it turns out to be complete nonsense, it was simply the way his Quenya name, Turukáno, would have sounded like in Sindarin.)

Quenya pretty much died as a spoken language in Middle-Earth once Thingol learned of the Kinslaying of the Teleri and forbade the 'tongue of the Noldor', i.e., Quenya. Luckily, the Noldor had an affinity for language and made the transition quite easily. It is also important to note that the all-Noldor city of Gondolin also used Sindarin almost exclusively and Quenya became "a language of books" (Unfinished Tales). In this sense, Quenya became a lot like Latin, something learned only by historians or scholars (though I usually have Royal Houses -- Elrond, Thranduil, and Celeborn's progeny -- learning it, as well).

A final note regarding the word 'Sindarin' itself: oddly enough, the word 'sindarin' is actually Quenya in origin. The Sindar never called their language 'Sindarin'. In fact, in War of the Jewels, Tolkien states they had no word for their language whatsoever. If they did, it would probably have been simply 'Edhellen' meaning 'Elvish'. This has almost no practical use for an author; except that it's amusing, and also I would never have a Third Age Elf refer to their language as 'Sindarin'. By the time the Third Age came around, Sindarin was the only language spoken by the Elves, and they would have simply used a generic term for it. An Elf from the First or Second Ages living in the Third Age could conceivably refer to the language as 'Sindarin', but I would not have Elladan, Elrohir, Arwen, or Legolas refer to it as such.

conclusion

Sindarin is intended to have lyrical quality; keep that in mind when using it
Use care when taking vocabulary from the Etymologies
Note that most Elven names are Sindarin; however, some First Age Elves' names are incorrect forms
Avoid, if possible, referring to Elvish as 'Sindarin' in dialogue


	Disclaimer This site contains content of an adult nature, both in written and graphical versions. If you are under the age of consent in your city, state, country, or province, please click here and exit the site. Site Map home lotr fanfiction elvish rants inspiration artwork links Section Links sindarin lessons elvish names phrasebook		Elvish lesson one : introduction Man i vent o istol Edhellen? (What is the point of knowing Elvish?) To discuss the beginnings of Sindarin, a fictional language in a fictional world, it is necessary to examine two histories: that of the author's creation and that of the fictional world itself. Sindarin, as with Quenya, began as a linguistic exercise for Tolkien. He started with the influence of Welsh and Gaelic, and tried to derive a language concerned with a certain degree fluidity and a strong lyrical quality. To that end, it is my opinion that whenever you are presented with more than one method of saying a certain phrase, you should choose the one that sounds the 'prettiest' in the context of your sentence. In other words, try to avoid harsh 'stops' formed by consecutive consonants. This will be discussed further throughout these lessons. When Tolkien first began developing the language that would become Sindarin, he called it 'Noldorin' (this reference is kept in the Etymologies). He intended it, initially, to be the language the Noldor spoke in Aman before coming to Middle-Earth. It wasn't until finishing Lord of the Rings that Quenya became the language spoken in Aman, and Noldorin became Sindarin, the language of the Sindar, those Elves who remained in Beleriand and never journeyed to Aman. As a result, the Noldorin presented in the Etymologies is similar in most ways to Sindarin, but the two are not identical. In the mythology of Middle-Earth, of course, no such disparity exists and Noldorin was never a language. "The Grey-elven was in origin akin to Quenya," Tolkien explains, "for it was the language of those Eldar who, coming to the shores of Middle-earth, had not passed over the Sea but had lingered on the coasts in the country of Beleriand. There Thingol Greycloak of Doriath was their king, and in the long twilight their tongue...had become far estranged from the speech of the Eldar from beyond the Sea" (Lord of the Rings, Appendix F). What this means is that by the time the Noldor fled Aman and returned to Middle-Earth, Sindarin was a well-established language and very different from the Quenya they knew. Out of respect for their new hosts, and partly out of a sense of necessity, the Noldor learned Sindarin very quickly -- even to the point of renaming themselves with Sindarin names. This is why Elves such as Galadriel have names in Sindarin despite their origins. However, this name change was not always accurate, and so some of the First Age Elves' names are either incomplete translations or, in some cases, simply phonetic reconstructions. (In other words, don't be surprised if you try to translate Turgon's name and it turns out to be complete nonsense, it was simply the way his Quenya name, Turukáno, would have sounded like in Sindarin.) Quenya pretty much died as a spoken language in Middle-Earth once Thingol learned of the Kinslaying of the Teleri and forbade the 'tongue of the Noldor', i.e., Quenya. Luckily, the Noldor had an affinity for language and made the transition quite easily. It is also important to note that the all-Noldor city of Gondolin also used Sindarin almost exclusively and Quenya became "a language of books" (Unfinished Tales). In this sense, Quenya became a lot like Latin, something learned only by historians or scholars (though I usually have Royal Houses -- Elrond, Thranduil, and Celeborn's progeny -- learning it, as well). A final note regarding the word 'Sindarin' itself: oddly enough, the word 'sindarin' is actually Quenya in origin. The Sindar never called their language 'Sindarin'. In fact, in War of the Jewels, Tolkien states they had no word for their language whatsoever. If they did, it would probably have been simply 'Edhellen' meaning 'Elvish'. This has almost no practical use for an author; except that it's amusing, and also I would never have a Third Age Elf refer to their language as 'Sindarin'. By the time the Third Age came around, Sindarin was the only language spoken by the Elves, and they would have simply used a generic term for it. An Elf from the First or Second Ages living in the Third Age could conceivably refer to the language as 'Sindarin', but I would not have Elladan, Elrohir, Arwen, or Legolas refer to it as such. conclusion Sindarin is intended to have lyrical quality; keep that in mind when using it Use care when taking vocabulary from the Etymologies Note that most Elven names are Sindarin; however, some First Age Elves' names are incorrect forms Avoid, if possible, referring to Elvish as 'Sindarin' in dialogue