Greenleaf's School for Elves - Introduction to Elvish

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Professor Thavron Quesse
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Introduction to Elvish
« Thread Started on May 7, 2007, 1:20pm »

Before you begin I wish to apologise for the length of this introduction. I attempted to cut it down as much as possible but was unable to remove any more without undoing it's point. For those of you who do wish to study Elvish in-depth or know a little more about the language and why I teach it, I very much suggest you read on.

Introduction

Of all the languages invented by J. R. R. Tolkien, the most popular has always been Quenya. It also seems to be the most highly developed of all the languages Tolkien devised. Indeed only two of them – Quenya and Sindarin – are so complete that one can with some ease write substantial texts in them without resorting to massive invention of one's own.

Very briefly, within Tolkien's mythos Quenya was the language of the Elves that dwelt in Valinor in the Uttermost West; being spoken in the Blessed Realm, it was the noblest tongue in the world. Later one of the clans of the Elves, the Noldor, went into exile in Middle-earth, bringing the Quenya tongue with them. In Middle-earth it soon fell out of use as a daily speech, but among the Noldor it was ever preserved as a ceremonial language, and as such it was also known to Mortal Men in later ages. Hence in The Lord of the Rings we have Frodo delivering the famous Quenya greeting elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo, "a star shines on the hour of our meeting", when he and his friends run into some Elves (and the Elves are delighted to meet "a scholar in the Ancient Tongue").

(For a more in-depth history, follow the link: Here)

The particular form of Quenya taught in this course is – by intention – precisely the "late Exilic" or "Third Age" variant. This is the kind of Quenya exemplified in The Lord of the Rings, with Galadriel's Lament (Namárië) as the most substantial example. However, you cannot really become "fluent" in Quenya, not matter how hard you study what is presently available. Quenya is an "art-language", to be used for carefully prepared prose and poetry rather than casual chatting.

So, why study Quenya?

Quote:

...what I think is a primary 'fact' about my work, that it is all of a piece, and fundamentally linguistic in inspiration. [...] It is not a 'hobby', in the sense of something quite different from one's work, taken up as a relief-outlet. The invention of languages is the foundation. The 'stories' were made rather to provide a world for the languages than the reverse. To me a name comes first and the story follows. I should have preferred to write in 'Elvish'. But, of course, such a work as The Lord of the Rings has been edited and only as much 'language' has been left in as I thought would be stomached by readers. (I now find that many would have liked more.) [...] It is to me, anyway, largely an essay in 'linguistic aesthetic', as I sometimes say to people who ask me 'what is it all about'. (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, pp. 219-220)

In light of such strong statements made by the author, studying his invented languages cannot be dismissed as some kind of silly escapism for romantic teenagers. One may call Quenya and the other languages works of art, but no matter what word we use to describe them, in the end it all boils down to this: Tolkien was not just a descriptive linguist, passively exploring and contemplating pre-existing tongues – he was a creative linguist as well.

In fact, the languages constructed by Tolkien have been likened to music; his biographer Humphrey Carpenter observes that "if he had been interested in music he would very likely have wanted to compose melodies; so why should he not make up a personal system of words that would be as it were a private symphony?" One may study one of the languages Tolkien painstakingly developed as one may study a musical symphony: a complex work of many interrelated parts woven into intricate beauty. Yet the symphony is fixed in its form, while a language can be infinitely recombined into ever new texts of prose and poetry, and yet retain its nature and flavour undiminished. One of the attractions of Quenya is that we can compose linguistic "music" ourselves just by applying Tolkien's rules, so Carpenter's comparison is too limited: Tolkien did not just make a symphony, he invented an entire form of music, and it would be a pity if it were to die with him.

I'd say we are in somewhat the same situation as if a genius composer were to invent a new form of music, writing a great deal about its structure, but making relatively few actual compositions – some of them not even published during the lifetime of the composer himself. Yet these few compositions gain a steadily growing international audience, an audience that would very much like to hear more – much more – music of this kind. The original composer being dead, what are we do to? There is only one way to go: We must carry out a thorough study of both the published compositions and the more theoretical writings, to make out and internalize the rules and principles for this kind of music. Then we can start to compose ourselves, making entirely new melodies that yet comply with the general structure devised by the original inventor.

Many want to study Quenya to immerse themselves in Tolkien's fiction: Tolkien's vision of the Elves (Quendi, Eldar) is no doubt the main achievement of his authorship, and Quenya was – at least in the somewhat biased opinion of the Noldor – "the chief Elvish tongue, the noblest, and the one most nearly preserving the ancient character of Elvish speech" (The War of the Jewels p. 374).

But one may grope towards "Elvishness" in a deeper sense than just trying to immerse oneself in fiction. Happily abandoning the all too classical idea of Elves as tiny, overly pretty "fairies", Tolkien instead achieved the vision of Elves as something more: "I suppose that the Quendi are in fact in these histories very little akin to the Elves and Fairies of Europe; and if I were pressed to rationalize, I should say that they represent greater beauty and longer life, and nobility – the Elder Children" (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 176). The quintessence of Tolkien's vision of "Elvishness" is contained primarily in the languages, "for to the Eldar the making of speech is the oldest of the arts and the most beloved" (The Peoples of Middle-earth p. 398).

In a way, the study of Quenya can be a quest for this vision of something beautiful and noble beyond the normal capability of our mortal and finite selves: "The Elves represent, as it were, the artistic, aesthetic, and purely scientific aspects of the Humane raised to a higher level than is actually seen in Men" (Letters, p. 176). The seeking for such a "higher level" transcends all fiction. Tolkien's inner vision of this level he translated partly into pictures, much more prominently into narratives, but (to him) more importantly still, into the words and sounds of language. In Quenya his vision of Beauty lives on, awaiting those capable of comprehending and appreciating it.

Tolkien had his fun in sheer invention; that was his privilege as the original creator. However,
really learning any language in any case requires active participation: Even if you wouldn't dream of ever publishing anything in Quenya, you will still have to work yourselves through some exercises to internalize grammar and vocabulary.

"No language is justly studied merely as an aid to other purposes. It will in fact better serve other purposes, philological or historical, when it is studied for love, for itself" (MC:189). – Tolkien

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