Elvish Languages (Middle-earth) - Internal History

Internal History

The Elvish languages are a family (or phylum) of several related languages and dialects. Here is set briefly the story of the Elvish languages as conceived by Tolkien c. 1965. They all originated from:

• Primitive Quendian, also called Quenderin, the proto-language of all the Elves who awoke together in the Far-East of Middle-earth, Cuiviénen, and began "naturally" to make a language.

All the Elvish languages are presumed to be descendants of this common ancestor.

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".

• Avarin is the language of various Elves of the Second and Third Clans, who refused to come to Valinor.
  • Avarin developed into at least six Avarin languages.
• Common Eldarin is the language of the three clans of the Eldar during the Great March to Valinor. It developed into:
  • Quenya, the language of the Elves in Eldamar beyond the Sea; it divided into:
    • Vanyarin Quenya, colloquial speech of the Vanyar, the Elves of the First Clan;
    • Noldorin Quenya (and later Exilic Quenya), colloquial speech of the Noldor, the Elves of the Second Clan.
  • Telerin, the language of the Teleri, Elves of the Third Clan, living in Tol Eressëa and Alqualondë.
  • Nandorin, the language of the Nandor, a branch of the Third Clan.
    • Nandorin developed into various Nandorin or 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;
    • Falathrin, in the Falas of Beleriand;
    • North Sindarin, in Dorthonion and Hithlum;
    • Noldorin Sindarin, spoken by the Exiled Noldor.

The acute accent (á, é, í, ó, ú) or circumflex accent (â, ê, î, ô, û, ŷ) marks long vowels in the Elvish languages. When writing Common Eldarin forms, Tolkien often used the macron to indicate long vowels. The diaeresis (ä, ë, ö) is normally used to show that a short vowel is to be separately pronounced, that it is not silent or part of a diphthong. For example, the last four letters of Ainulindalë represent two syllables, rather than the English word dale, and the first three letters of Eärendil represent two syllables rather than the English word ear.