“Y” is never a vowel in Quenya. It is always a vowel in Sindarin though. The written form of Quenya is Tengwar. You speak Quenya, but you write Tengwar.
There is no difference between “c” and “k” in Quenya. It is always pronounced like the hard c in “cup. ” This can get confusing because both letters are used in Tengwar even though they’re pronounced the same way. Every “r” is rolled (or trilled), like a Spanish speaker saying “correo. ” The sounds “n,” “ny,” and “m” are always soft, like an American English speaker pronouncing “nose” or “month. ” These are called nasal constants, since they’re spoken while allowing air to flow through the nose. The letter “y” is always a consonant. Pronounce it with a harder sound, like and American English speaker saying “why. ”
When there are only two syllables, always stress the first syllable even if there isn’t a vowel. So a word like “umin” is pronounced “UHM-en,” not “oo-MIN. ”
A lot of Middle Eastern languages have a similar pattern. This may sound kind of like Arabic or Aramaic at first. You may notice that there seems to always be a vowel sound in the third syllable of every word in Quenya. This is a pattern that is near-universal in Elvish, and is the main reason that Elvish languages have such elegant flows.
For example, if you were using an Italian accent, you would automatically dampen the second syllable in the Elvish words “ando” and “vala,” which would be correct. In Tolkein’s world, Quenya was spoken mainly by the High Elves, academics, and nobles. It is a sort of classical version of Elvish.
Like Quenya, the “c” and “k” sound are always hard and sound identical. The “r” is always rolled as well, like a Spanish speaker saying “correo. ” ”Dh” and “wh” are usually pronounced like “th” in English. So a word like “bedhyr” is pronounced “beth-earr. ” ”V” is silent when it’s at the end of the word. “G” is always a hard “g,” like in “hang. ” It is never pronounced softly or like a “j. ” The vowel pronunciation is near-identical to Quenya with the exception of the letter “y. ” This is treated as a vowel in Sindarin, but a consonant in Quenya.
Take the famous character Legolas, for example. The first syllable in his name is pronounced loudly and sharply; it sounds like an American English speaker saying “leg. ” The “o” and “las” are soft, and make the rest of the word sound vaguely Spanish or Italian. Sindarin is the more commonly-spoken version of Elvish in Middle Earth. When you hear Elves speak in the Lord of the Rings films, pay attention to the way the characters speak and look out for these stresses.
For example, “Sindarin” is pronounced “SEEN-dar-in,” not “sin-DAR-in. ” If there were a fourth syllable on the end of the word, it might become “sin-dar-IN-oh. ” In Quenya, “Sindarin” would be pronounced “seen-dair-IN. ”
For example, an Irish or Scottish accent would pronounce “ai” (which means “hail”) as “eye” instead of “aye,” which is pretty close to the proper pronunciation in Sindarin.
A fun elaborate greeting is, “Êl síla erin lû e-govaned vîn,” which means “a star shines on the hour of our meeting” in Sindarin. If you’re speaking Quenya, say “Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo” to say the same thing. In Quenya, general greetings and thanks include “namárië” (be well), “aiya” (hello), and “hara máriessë” (stay in happiness). [11] X Research source
Say “Nánye” in Quenya for “my name is. ” For example, “Nánye Elmer” translates to “my name is Elmer. ”[13] X Research source
In Quenya, raise your fist in the air while shaking it and shout “Úcarnet nin!” This means, “You have betrayed me!” In Sindarin, hold your hand up to someone that’s being annoying and say “Heca,” which means, “Scram!”
One great course for learning Quenya can be found at https://folk. uib. no/hnohf/qcourse. htm. You can find charts, lessons, and practice games for learning Sindarin at http://sindarinlessons. weebly. com/24—sentence-structure. html. There are a ton of resources and a vibrant community of Elvish speakers at http://www. councilofelrond. com/content/guide-to-learning-elvish/.
