View source for Elvish languages of Middle-earth

{{short description|Group of fictional languages in the fantasy works of J. R. R. Tolkien}}
{{good article}}
{{For|Elvish languages in general|Elvish languages}}
[[File:Namarie First Stanza Tengwar.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|The first stanza of Tolkien's [[Quenya]] poem "[[Namárië]]", written in his [[Tengwar]] script.]]

The '''Elvish languages of Middle-earth''', [[Constructed languages|constructed]] by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], include [[Quenya]] and [[Sindarin]]. These were the various languages spoken by the [[Elves in Middle-earth|Elves]] of [[Middle-earth]] as they developed as a society throughout the Ages. In his pursuit for realism and in his love of language, Tolkien was especially fascinated with the development and evolution of language through time. Tolkien created two almost fully developed languages and a dozen more in various beginning stages as he studied and reproduced the way that language adapts and morphs. A [[philology|philologist]] by profession, he spent much time on his constructed languages. In the collection of letters he had written, posthumously published by his son, [[Christopher Tolkien]], he stated that he began stories set within this [[secondary world]], the realm of Middle-earth, not with the characters or narrative as one would assume, but with a created set of languages. The stories and characters serve as conduits to make those languages come to life. Inventing language was always a crucial piece to Tolkien's mythology and [[world building]]. As Tolkien stated:

{{blockquote|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.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Carpenter|2023|loc=#165 to [[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Houghton Mifflin]], June 1955 }}</ref>}}

Tolkien created scripts for his Elvish languages, of which the best known are [[Sarati]], [[Tengwar]], and [[Cirth]].

== External history ==

=== Language construction ===

J. R. R. Tolkien began to construct his first ''Elvin tongue'' c. 1910–1911 while he was at the [[King Edward's School, Birmingham]] and which he later named ''[[Quenya]]'' (c. 1915). At that time, Tolkien was already familiar with [[Latin language|Latin]], [[Greek language|Greek]], Italian, Spanish, and three ancient [[Germanic languages]]: [[Gothic language|Gothic]], [[Old Norse]], and [[Old English]]. He had invented several [[cryptography|cryptographic codes]] such as Animalic, and two or three constructed languages including Naffarin. He then discovered [[Finnish language|Finnish]], which he described many years later as "like discovering a complete wine-cellar filled with bottles of an amazing wine of a kind and flavour never tasted before. It quite intoxicated me."<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Carpenter|2023|loc=#214 to A. C. Nunn, late 1958 }}</ref> <!--He had started his study of the Finnish language to be able to read the ''[[Kalevala]]'' epic.-->

{{blockquote|The ingredients in Quenya are various, but worked out into a self-consistent character not precisely like any language that I know. Finnish, which I came across when I first begun to construct a 'mythology' [[Finnish influences on Tolkien|was a dominant influence]], but that has been much reduced [now in late Quenya]. It survives in some features: such as the absence of any consonant combinations initially, the absence of the voiced stops ''b, d, g'' (except in ''mb, nd, ng, ld, rd'', which are favoured) and the fondness for the ending ''-inen, -ainen, -oinen'', also in some points of grammar, such as the inflexional endings ''-sse'' (rest at or in), ''-nna'' (movement to, towards), and ''-llo'' (movement from); the personal possessives are also expressed by suffixes; there is no gender.<ref group=T>From a letter to W. R. Matthews, dated 13–15 June 1964, published in ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 17, p. 135.</ref>}}

Tolkien with his Quenya pursued a double aesthetic goal: "classical and inflected".<ref group=T>[[Parma Eldalamberon]] 17, p. 135</ref> This urge was the motivation for his creation of a 'mythology'. While the language developed, he needed speakers, history for the speakers and all real dynamics, like war and migration: "It was primarily linguistic in inspiration and was begun in order to provide the necessary background of 'history' for Elvish tongues".<ref group=T>[[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien, J. R. R.]] ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', "Foreword to the Second Edition".</ref><ref>[[Carl F. Hostetter|Hostetter, Carl F.]], [http://www.elvish.org/articles/EASIS.pdf "Elvish as She Is Spoke"]. Republished with permission from [http://www.marquette.edu/library/information/news/2006/jrrt_proceedings.html ''The Lord of the Rings 1954–2004: Scholarship in Honor of Richard E. Blackwelder''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209122252/http://www.marquette.edu/library/information/news/2006/jrrt_proceedings.html |date=2006-12-09 }} (Marquette, 2006), ed. [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]].</ref>

The Elvish languages underwent countless revisions in grammar, mostly in [[Grammatical conjugation|conjugation]] and the [[pronoun|pronominal system]]. The Elven vocabulary was not subject to sudden or extreme change; except during the first conceptual stage c.&nbsp;1910–c.&nbsp;1920. Tolkien sometimes changed the "meaning" of an Elvish word, but he almost never disregarded it once invented, and he kept on refining its meaning, and countlessly forged new synonyms. Moreover, Elven etymology was in a constant flux. Tolkien delighted in inventing new [[etymology|etymons]] for his Elvish vocabulary.<ref name="Smith 2020"/>

From the outset, Tolkien used [[comparative philology]] and the [[tree model]] as his major tools in his constructed languages. He usually started with the phonological system of the [[proto-language]] and then proceeded in inventing for each [[daughter language]] the many mechanisms of sound change needed.<ref name="Smith 2020"/>

{{blockquote|I find the construction and the interrelation of the languages an aesthetic pleasure in itself, quite apart from ''The Lord of the Rings'', of which it was/is in fact independent.<ref name="ReferenceA" group=T>Letter from Tolkien to a reader, published in ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 17, p. 61</ref>}}

Tolkien stated that he intentionally designed Sindarin to be in relation to Quenya as medieval Welsh is to Latin. Nelson Goering analysed this claim, finding it broadly reasonable, if the relationships are allowed to be of different kinds.<ref name="Goering 2014">{{cite journal |last=Goering |first=Nelson |title=Lŷg and Leuca : "Elven-Latin," Archaic Languages, and the Philology of Britain |journal=[[Tolkien Studies]] |via=Project Muse |volume=11 |issue=1 |year=2014 |doi=10.1353/tks.2014.0012 |doi-access=free |pages=67–76}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Nelson Goering's analysis of Tolkien's claim that Sindarin is to Quenya as Welsh is to Latin<ref name="Goering 2014"/>
|-
! Elvish language 
! Features 
! Resemblances 
! European language 
|-
| '''Quenya'''<br/>"snake", a name<br/>''leuka'', ''Makalaure''
| High language, "Elven-Latin"<br/>1) "Used for ceremony, and for high matters of lore and song"<br/>2) Spelling system is Latin-like
| Cultural parallels of Quenya and Latin:<br/>ancient language, now in learned use 
| '''Latin'''<br/>"fountain", "state"<br/>''fontana'', ''civitat'' 
|-
| '''Sindarin'''<br/>changed more than Quenya<br/>from ancient Eldarin<br/>''lŷg'', ''Maglor'' 
| Colloquial language<br/>1) Initial consonant mutations<br/>2) General phonological structure<br/>3) i-mutation (i-umlaut) to form noun plurals
| Linguistic parallels of Sindarin and Welsh:<br/>Sindarin was designed<br/>"to resemble Welsh phonologically"
| '''Welsh'''<br/>borrowed and adapted words<br/>from Latin<br/>''ffynnon'', ''ciwdod'' 
|}

In the early 30s Tolkien decided that the proto-language of the Elves was [[Valarin]], the tongue of the gods or Valar: "The language of the Elves derived in the beginning from the Valar, but they change it even in the learning, and moreover modified and enriched it constantly at all times by their own invention."<ref group=T>J.R.R. Tolkien, "Lambion Ontale: Descent of Tongues", "Tengwesta Qenderinwa" 1, ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 18, p. 23.</ref> In his ''Comparative Tables'', Tolkien describes the mechanisms of sound change in the following daughter languages: ''Qenya, Lindarin'' (a dialect of Qenya), ''Telerin, Old Noldorin'' (or ''Fëanorian''), ''Noldorin'' (or ''Gondolinian''), ''Ilkorin'' (esp. of [[Doriath (Middle-earth)|Doriath]]), ''Danian of Ossiriand, East Danian, [[Taliska]], West Lemberin, North Lemberin, and East Lemberin''.<ref group=T>''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'', 19, pp. 18–28</ref>

In his lifetime J.R.R. Tolkien never ceased to experiment on his constructed languages, and they were subjected to many revisions. They had many grammars with substantial differences between different stages of development. After the publication of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (1954–1955), the grammar rules of his major Elvish languages Quenya, Telerin and Sindarin went through very few changes (this is '''late Elvish''' 1954–1973).<ref name="Smith 2020">{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Arden R. |author-link=Arden R. Smith |chapter=Invented Languages and Writing Systems |editor-last=Lee |editor-first=Stuart D. |editor-link=Stuart D. Lee |title=[[A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien]] |date=2020 |orig-year=2014 |publisher=[[Wiley Blackwell]] |isbn=978-1119656029 |oclc=1183854105 |pages=202–214}}</ref>

=== Publication of Tolkien's linguistic papers ===

:: ''The linguistic papers published in ''Vinyar Tengwar'' and ''Parma Eldalamberon'' are listed in the Bibliography of this article.''

Two magazines (''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'', from its issue 39 in July 1998, and ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'', from its issue 11 in 1995) are exclusively devoted to the editing and publishing of J.R.R. Tolkien's gigantic mass of previously unpublished linguistic papers, including those omitted by Christopher Tolkien from "[[The History of Middle-earth]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elvish.org/VT/ |title=Vinyar Tengwar |last=Hostetter |first=Carl F. |author-link=Carl F. Hostetter |work=The Elvish Linguistic Fellowship |access-date=2011-01-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma1.html |title=Parma Eldalamberon |work=Wladalaberon |publisher=The Elvish Linguistic Fellowship |access-date=2011-01-01 |quote=Parma Eldalamberon ... The Book of Elven Tongues ... is a journal of linguistic studies of fantasy literature, especially of the Elvish languages and nomenclature in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709162701/http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma1.html |archive-date=2011-07-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref><!-- Access to the unpublished documents is severely limited, and the editors have yet not published a comprehensive catalogue of the documents they are working on.-->

{{anchor|Noldorin}}

== Internal history ==

=== At the time of the ''Lhammas'' and ''The Etymologies'', 1937 ===

{{further |Lhammas |l1=''Lhammas'' |The Etymologies (Tolkien) |l2=''The Etymologies'' (Tolkien) }}

The Elvish languages are a [[language family|family]] of several related languages and dialects. In 1937, Tolkien drafted the ''[[Lhammas]]'' and ''[[The Etymologies (Tolkien)|The Etymologies]]'', both edited and published in the 1987 ''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]''. They depict a tree of languages analogous to that of the [[Indo-European languages]] that Tolkien knew as a philologist.<ref name="Smith 2020"/><ref name="Lhammas">{{harvnb|Tolkien|1987|loc=Part 2, chapter 5, "The Lhammas"}}</ref>

[[File:Middle-earth vs Indo-European language trees.svg|thumb|center|upright=2|Elvish and [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European language]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Family: Indo-European |url=https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/indo1319 |website=Glottolog |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> trees compared. Tolkien, a [[philologist]], was intensely interested in the evolution of language families, and modelled his fictional languages and their evolution on real ones.<ref name="Smith 2020"/> The language names and evolution shown for Middle-earth are as used in the 1937 {{Transliteration|sjn|Lhammas}}.<ref name="Lhammas"/>]]

This was internally consistent, but for one thing, the history of the [[Noldor]], central to the story. Their language, Noldorin, evolved very slowly in the changeless atmosphere of [[Valinor]]. Tolkien had developed its linguistics in some detail. With their return to [[Beleriand]], the language was evidently sharply distinct from Qenya, implying rapid change. As Tolkien worked on ''The Lord of the Rings'', starting soon after ''[[The Hobbit]]'' was published in 1937, the matter troubled him. He came up with a radical solution: the Noldor adopted the local language, Sindarin, as spoken by the Sindar or Grey-Elves, when they settled in Beleriand.<ref name="LROW Etym Intro">{{harvnb|Tolkien|1987|pp=377–385 (Christopher Tolkien's introduction)}}</ref> That allowed Noldorin to be, more plausibly, a scarcely-altered dialect of Quenya; and it freed up his linguistically-developed material to be rebadged as Sindarin, which would have had a long time to evolve in Middle-earth. This was to some extent an awkward solution, as Sindarin had quite different origins, and could have developed rather differently. Tolkien reshaped his "Tree of Tongues" accordingly.<ref name="Goering 2017">{{cite journal |last=Goering |first=Nelson |title=The Feanorian Alphabet, Part 1; Quenya Verb Structure by J.R.R. Tolkien |journal=[[Tolkien Studies]] |volume=14 |issue=1 |date=2017 |issn=1547-3163 |doi=10.1353/tks.2017.0015 |pages=191–201 |url=https://hcommons.org/deposits/download/hc:30764/CONTENT/goering-2017-review-the-feanorian-alphabet-part-1-quenya-verb-structure-by-j.r.r.-tolkien.pdf/ <!--officially shared by the article's author-->|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="Welden 2023">{{cite book |last=Welden |first=Bill |chapter=How We Got Sindarin |title=Arda Philology 7: Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on JRR Tolkien's Invented Languages, Omentielva Otsea, Hayward, 10-13 August 2017 |editor=Beregond, Anders Stenström |year=2023 |publisher=Arda |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JXr7EAAAQBAJ&dq=Lhammas&pg=PA12 |isbn=9789197350075 |pages=12–29}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=400 heights=250>
File:Elvish language evolution in the Lhammas.svg|Elvish language evolution as described in the {{Transliteration|sjn|Lhammas}} and assumed in ''[[The Etymologies (Tolkien)|The Etymologies]]'', 1937
File:Elvish language evolution after Lhammas 01.svg|Elvish language evolution once Tolkien had ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' under development, 1938 onwards. [[Sindarin]] has replaced Noldorin. The 'new' Noldorin is just the Noldor's not very distinct dialect of [[Quenya]].
</gallery>

''[[The Etymologies (Tolkien)|The Etymologies]]'' is Tolkien's [[etymological dictionary]] of the Elvish languages, contemporaneous with the {{Transliteration|sjn|Lhammas}}. It is a list of roots of the Proto-Elvish language, from which he built his many Elvish languages, especially [[Quenya]], [[Noldorin]] and Ilkorin. ''The Etymologies'', never meant to be published, does not form a unified whole, but incorporates layer upon layer of changes. In his introduction to ''The Etymologies'', Christopher Tolkien wrote that his father was "more interested in the processes of change than he was in displaying the structure and use of the languages at any given time."<ref name="LROW p378" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1987}}, pp. 378–379</ref>

[[File:Glamdring etymologies.svg|thumb|upright=2|center|Etymology of '[[Glamdring]]' in Tolkien's Elvish languages, as described in the 1937 ''[[The Etymologies (Tolkien)|Etymologies]]''.<ref name="The Etymologies" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1987|pp=385–448 ''[[The Etymologies (Tolkien)|The Etymologies]]''}}</ref> Noldorin is in the place soon to be occupied by [[Sindarin]].<ref name="Welden 2023"/> ]]

=== With ''The Lord of the Rings'' ===

{{further|Sundering of the Elves}}

The story of the Elvish languages as conceived by Tolkien from when he began working on ''The Lord of the Rings'' is that they all originated from Primitive Quendian or Quenderin, the proto-language of all the [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elves]] who awoke together in the far east of Middle-earth, [[Cuiviénen]], and began "naturally" to make a language. With the [[sundering of the Elves]], all the Elvish languages are presumed to be descendants of this common ancestor, including the two languages that Tolkien developed most fully, Quenya and Sindarin, as shown in the tree diagram.<ref name="Tengwesta Qenderinwa" group=T>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Tengwesta Qenderinwa", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 18, p. 72</ref>

{{clade
|label1=Primitive|sublabel1=Quendian
|1={{clade
   |label1='''[[Quenya]]'''
   |1={{clade
      |label1=Common|sublabel1=Telerin
      |1={{clade
         |1=Telerin (Silvan)
         |2=Nandorin
         |3='''[[Sindarin]]'''
         }}
      |2=Noldorin Quenya (later, Exilic Quenya)
      |3=Vanyarin Quenya
      }}
   |2=Avarin (6+ languages)
   }}
}}

In detail, Tolkien invented two subfamilies (subgroups) of the Elvish languages. "The language of the Quendelie (Elves) was thus very early sundered into the branches Eldarin and Avarin". These further subdivided as follows:<ref name="Tengwesta Qenderinwa" group=T/>

* Avarin is the language of various Elves of the Second and Third Clans, who refused to come to [[Valinor]]. It developed into at least six Avarin languages.
* Common Eldarin is the language of the three clans of the [[Eldar (Middle-earth)|Eldar]] during the Great March to Valinor. It developed into:
** '''[[Quenya]]''', the language of the Elves in [[Valinor]] (Eldamar) beyond the Sea; it divided into:
*** Vanyarin Quenya or Quendya, colloquial speech of the [[Vanyar]], the Elves of the First Clan;
*** Noldorin Quenya (and later Exilic Quenya, when the Noldor moved from Valinor to Beleriand), colloquial speech of the [[Noldor]], the Elves of the Second Clan.
** Common Telerin, the early language of all the [[Teleri]]
*** Telerin, the language of the [[Teleri]], Elves of the Third Clan, living in [[Tol Eressëa]] and [[Alqualondë]] in [[Valinor]].
*** Nandorin, the language of the [[Nandor (Middle-earth)|Nandor]], a branch of the Third Clan. It developed into various Nandorin and [[Silvan Elves|Silvan]] languages.
*** '''[[Sindarin]]''' is the language of the [[Sindar]], a branch of the Third Clan, who dwelt in [[Beleriand]]. Its dialects include Doriathrin, in [[Doriath (Middle-earth)|Doriath]]; Falathrin, in the [[Falas]] of Beleriand; North Sindarin, in Dorthonion and [[Hithlum]]; Noldorin Sindarin, spoken by the Exiled Noldor.

[[File:Elvish Languages Mapped to Kindreds and Migrations.svg|thumb|center |upright=2.5 |Elvish Languages mapped to the [[Sundering of the Elves]]: Languages (such as '''<span style="color:#0000FF">Quenya</span>''') are shown in Boldface Blue; examples are the words for "Elves" in those languages (such as ''"Quendi"''), shown in Italic Black. These are overlaid on a map of [[Arda (Middle-earth)|Arda]], with [[Aman (J. R. R. Tolkien)|Aman]] on the left, [[Middle-earth]] on the right, the arrows and Green labels showing the migrations of the Elvish kindreds. The lowest Elves, the Avari, fragmented into many kindreds with different languages.<ref name="Quendi and Eldar" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1994}}, "Quendi and Eldar"</ref><ref name="Dickerson 2013">{{cite book |last=Dickerson |first=Matthew T. |author-link=Matthew T. Dickerson |chapter=Elves: Kindreds and Migrations |title=[[J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia]] |editor-first=Michael D. C. |editor-last=Drout |editor-link=Michael D. C. Drout |year=2006 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-13588-034-7}}</ref> Locations are diagrammatic.]]

=== Fictional philology ===

{{further|Philology and Middle-earth}}

A tradition of [[Philology and Middle-earth|philological study]] of Elvish languages exists within the fiction of [[Tolkien's frame stories]]:<ref name="Tolkien phonology" group=T/>

{{blockquote|The older stages of Quenya were, and doubtless still are, known to the loremasters of the Eldar. It appears from these notices that besides certain ancient songs and compilations of lore that were orally preserved, there existed also some books and many ancient inscriptions.<ref name="Tolkien phonology" group=T>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "Outline of Phonology", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 19, p. 68.</ref>}}

Elven philologists are called the ''Lambengolmor''; in Quenya, ''lambe'' means "spoken language" or "verbal communication." Known members of the Lambengolmor were Rúmil, who invented the first Elvish script (the [[Sarati]]), [[Fëanor]] who later enhanced and further developed this script into his [[Tengwar]], which later was spread to Middle-earth by the Exiled [[Noldor]] and remained in use ever after, and Pengolodh, who is credited with many works, including the ''[[Osanwe-kenta]]'' and the ''[[Lhammas]]'' or "The 'Account of Tongues' which Pengolodh of Gondolin wrote in later days in Tol-eressëa".<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1987}}, "The [[Lhammas]]"</ref>

== Elvish scripts ==

{{main|Tolkien's scripts}}

[[File:Sarati word abugida style.jpg|thumb|"Sarati" in Tolkien's first Elvish script, [[Sarati]] ]]

Tolkien wrote out most samples of Elvish languages with the Latin alphabet, but within the fiction he imagined many writing systems for his Elves. The best-known are the "[[Tengwar]] of Fëanor", but the first system he created, c. 1919, is the "Tengwar of Rúmil", also called the [[sarati]]. In chronological order, [[Tolkien's scripts]] are:<ref name="Hostetter 2013">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Hostetter |first=Carl F. |author-link=Carl F. Hostetter |editor-last=Drout |editor-first=Michael D. C. |editor-link=Michael D. C. Drout |title=Languages Invented by Tolkien |encyclopedia=[[The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia]] |year=2013 |orig-year=2007 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-415-86511-1 |pages=332–343}}</ref><ref name="Tolkien Estate 2015">{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Arden R. |author-link=Arden R. Smith |title=Writing Systems |url=https://www.tolkienestate.com/scholarship/arden-smith-writing-systems/ |publisher=[[Tolkien Estate|The Tolkien Estate]] |access-date=26 January 2021 }}</ref>

# Tengwar of Rúmil or [[Sarati]]
# [[Cirth#Gondolinic runes|Gondolinic runes]] (Runes used in the city of [[Gondolin]])
# Valmaric script
# Andyoqenya
# Qenyatic
# [[Tengwar]] of [[Fëanor]]
# The [[Cirth]] of Daeron

== See also ==

* [[Languages constructed by J. R. R. Tolkien]]
* ''[[A Elbereth Gilthoniel]]''

== References ==

=== Primary ===

{{reflist|group=T|28em}}

=== Secondary ===

{{reflist|28em}}

== Sources ==

* {{ME-ref|Letters}}
* {{ME-ref|WOTJ}}
* {{ME-ref|LROW}}

== Bibliography ==

This section lists the many sources by Tolkien documenting Elvish texts.

{{colbegin}}{{refbegin}}

=== Books ===

A small fraction of Tolkien's accounts of Elvish languages was published in his novels and scholarly works during his lifetime.

* 1937 ''[[The Hobbit]]'' a few elvish names ([[Elrond]], [[Glamdring]], [[Orcrist]]); no texts or sentences
* 1962 ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]''
* 1954–1955 ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''
* 1967 ''[[The Road Goes Ever On]]''.

Posthumously:

* 1980 ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'': the "Oath of Cirion"
* 1983 ''[[The Monsters and the Critics]]'': "[[A Secret Vice]]", with ''Oilima Markirya'', ''Nieninqe'', and ''[[Eärendil and Elwing|Earendel]]''.
* 1987 ''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]'': 
** "Alboin Errol's Fragments", p.&nbsp;51
** "Fíriel's Song", p.&nbsp;69
** ''[[Lhammas]]'', explaining the relationships between the languages, pp.&nbsp;182–217
** ''[[The Etymologies (Tolkien)|The Etymologies]]'', adding some 600 words and many links between languages, pp.&nbsp;377–448
* 2024 ''[[The Collected Poems of J. R. R. Tolkien]]'':
** "Loä yukainen avar Anduinë sí valútier", pp.&nbsp;1296–1298

=== Posthumous articles ===

Many of Tolkien's writings on his invented languages have been annotated and published by [[Carl F. Hostetter]] in the journals ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' and ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'', as follows:

* 1989 "The Plotz Quenya Declensions", first published in part in the [[fanzine]] ''Beyond Bree'', and later in full in "[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 6, p.&nbsp;14.
* 1991 "Koivieneni Sentence" in ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 14, pp.&nbsp;5–20.
* 1992 "New Tengwar Inscription" in ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 21, p.&nbsp;6.
* 1992 "Liège Tengwar Inscription" in ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 23, p.&nbsp;16.
* 1993 "Two Trees Sentence" in ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 27, pp.&nbsp;7–42.
* 1993 "Koivieneni Manuscript" in ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 27, pp.&nbsp;7–42.
* 1993 "The Bodleian Declensions", in ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 28, pp.&nbsp;9–34.
* 1994 "The Entu Declension" in ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 36, pp.&nbsp;8–29.
* 1995 "Gnomish Lexicon", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 11.
* 1995 "Rúmilian Document" in ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 37, pp.&nbsp;15–23.
* 1998 "Qenya Lexicon" ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 12.
* 1998 "[[Osanwe-kenta]], Enquiry into the communication of thought",  ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 39
* 1998 "From Quendi and Eldar, Appendix D." ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 39, pp.&nbsp;4–20.
* 1999 "Narqelion", ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 40, pp.&nbsp;5–32
* 2000 "Etymological Notes: Osanwe-kenta" ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 41, pp.&nbsp;5–6
* 2000 "From The Shibboleth of Fëanor" (written ca. 1968) ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 41, pp.&nbsp;7–10 (A part of ''[[The Shibboleth of Fëanor]]'' was published in ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', pp.&nbsp;331–366)
* 2000 "Notes on Óre" ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 41, pp.&nbsp;11–19
* 2000 "Merin Sentence" Tyalië Tyelelliéva 14, p.&nbsp;32–35
* 2001 "The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor" (written 1967–1969) ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 42, pp.&nbsp;5–31.
* 2001 "Essay on negation in Quenya" ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 42, pp.&nbsp;33–34.
* 2001 "Goldogrim Pronominal Prefixes" ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 13 p.&nbsp;97.
* 2001 "Early Noldorin Grammar", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 13, pp.&nbsp;119–132.
* 2002 "Words of Joy: Five Catholic Prayers in Quenya (Part One), ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 43:
: "Ataremma" (''[[Lord's Prayer|Pater Noster]]'' in Quenya) versions I–VI, p. 4–26
: "Aia María" (''[[Hail Mary|Ave Maria]]'' in Quenya) versions I–IV, pp. 26–36
: "Alcar i Ataren" (''[[Gloria Patri]]'' in Quenya), pp. 36–38
* 2002 "Words of Joy: Five Catholic Prayers in Quenya (Part Two), ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 44:
: "[[Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary|Litany of Loreto]]" in Quenya, pp. 11–20.
: "Ortírielyanna" (''[[Sub tuum praesidium]]'' in Quenya), pp. 5–11
: "Alcar mi tarmenel na Erun" (''[[Gloria in Excelsis Deo]]'' in Quenya), pp. 31–38.
: "Ae Adar Nín" (''[[Lord's Prayer|Pater Noster]]'' in Sindarin) ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 44, pp. 21–30.
* 2003 "Early Qenya Fragments", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 14.
* 2003 "Early Qenya Grammar", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 14.
* 2003 "The Valmaric Scripts", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 14.
* 2004 "''Sí Qente Feanor'' and Other Elvish Writings", ed. Smith, Gilson, Wynne, and Welden, ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 15.
* 2005 "Eldarin Hands, Fingers & Numerals (Part One)." Edited by Patrick H. Wynne. ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 47, pp.&nbsp;3–43.
* 2005 "Eldarin Hands, Fingers & Numerals (Part Two)." Edited by Patrick H. Wynne. ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 48, pp.&nbsp;4–34.
* 2006 "Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets", Part 1, ed. Smith, ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 16.
* 2006 "Early Elvish Poetry: ''Oilima Markirya, Nieninqe'' and ''Earendel''", ed. Gilson, Welden, and Hostetter, ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 16
* 2006 "Qenya Declensions", "Qenya Conjugations", "Qenya Word-lists", ed. Gilson, Hostetter, Wynne, ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 16
* 2007 "Eldarin Hands, Fingers & Numerals (Part Three)." Edited by Patrick H. Wynne. ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 49, pp.&nbsp;3–37.
* 2007 "Five Late Quenya Volitive Inscriptions." ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 49, pp.&nbsp;38–58.
* 2007 "Ambidexters Sentence", ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 49
* 2007 "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in [[The Lord of the Rings]]", edited by Gilson, ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 17.
* 2009 "Tengwesta Qenderinwa", ed. Gilson, Smith and Wynne, ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 18.
* 2009 "Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets, Part 2", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 18.
* 2010 "Quenya Phonology", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 19.
* 2010 "Comparative Tables", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 19.
* 2010 "Outline of Phonetic Development", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 19.
* 2010 "Outline of Phonology", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 19.
* 2012 "The Qenya Alphabet", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 20.
* 2013 "The "Túrin Wrapper"", ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'' 50
* 2013 "Qenya: Declension of Nouns", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 21.
* 2013 "Primitive Quendian: Final Consonants", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 21.
* 2013 "Common Eldarin: Noun Structure", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 21.
* 2015 "The Fëanorian Alphabet, Part 1", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 22.
* 2015 "Quenya Verb Structure", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 22.
* 2024 "The Fëanorian Alphabet, Part 2", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 23.
* 2024 "Eldarin Pronouns", ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 23.
{{colend}}{{refend}}

See also [[Douglas A. Anderson]], ''Carl F. Hostetter: A Checklist'', [[Tolkien Studies]] 4 (2007).

== External links ==

* [http://www.elvish.org/FAQ.html Elvish.org FAQ] – Article by [[Carl F. Hostetter]]. Succinct summaries of Tolkien's own views of the purpose, completeness and usability of his languages.
* [http://www.elvish.org The Elvish Linguistic Fellowship]: Publishes the journals ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'', ''[[Tengwestië]]'', and ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]''

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{{Middle-earth}}
{{Constructed languages}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elvish Languages (Middle-Earth)}}
[[Category:Elves in popular culture| ]]
[[Category:Middle-earth languages| ]]
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