Parma Eldalamberon 21

From Tolkien Gateway
Parma Eldalamberon 21
Qenya Noun Structure
Parma Eldalamberon 21.jpg
AuthorJ.R.R. Tolkien
EditorChristopher Gilson, Patrick H. Wynne, and Arden R. Smith
PublisherElvish Linguistic Fellowship
Released2 September 2013
FormatPaperback journal
Pages110

Parma Eldalamberon 21: Qenya Noun Structure is the twenty-first issue of Parma Eldalamberon, a journal of linguistic studies of the Elvish languages and names in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Front cover: manuscript facsimile "Grammar: Accidence: A. Nouns."

Previous Issue || Next Issue

Contents[edit | edit source]

  • Foreword
  • "Qenya Noun Structure" — J.R.R. Tolkien, eds. Christopher Gilson, Patrick H. Wynne, and Arden R. Smith
    • "Declension of Nouns"
      • 'Vocalic' nouns
      • Nouns whose nominative ends in a consonant
      • 'Irregular' monosyllabic nouns
    • "Qenya Declensions"
      (continued from Parma 16)
    • "Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants"
      • Common Quendian: declension of nouns
      • "Nouns"
    • "Notes for Qenya Declensions"
    • "Common Eldarin: Noun Structure"
      • Words ending in a consonant
      • Old monosyllabic stems
      • Old dissyllabic stems
      • Inflexional elements
      • Derivative Stems: Nouns and Adjectives
      • 'Personification'
  • List of abbreviations

Description[edit | edit source]

"Declension of Nouns" is a detailed grammatical treatment of the inflexions of the Qenya noun, dating from circa 1931. It describes the formation of stems and syntactic suffixes, including Old Qenya, archaic, and poetic variants, and it traces the development of the noun from Common Eldarin. A number of the forms cited, including those in eight full paradigm tables, are transcribed in the Tengwar as conceived at this time. The various types of vocalic and consonantal stems are discussed, and illustrated with full listings of inflected forms for about 30 nouns, and variations outlined for another 50 or so.

"Qenya Declensions" is a series of paradigm tables apparently intended to replace those in the "Declension of Nouns". They reflect further changes in Tolkien's conception of the noun inflexions up to the middle of the 1930s. In three of these the forms are tanscribed in Tengwar, showing the conceptual development in the writing system.

"Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants" is a text from 1936 connecting the distribution of word-final consonants in the primitive language with the etymological origins of the Qenya noun inflexions. An associated text titled just "Nouns" treats the same material starting from Common Eldarin.

"Notes for Qenya Declensions" is a revision of "Nouns", probably dating from the early 1940s. It was intended to be part of a projected revision of the "Declension of Nouns" subsequent to the changes introduced in the "Qenya Declensions".

"Common Eldarin: Noun Structure" is a revision and elaboration of the material in "Primitive Quendian Structure" and "Nouns", dating from circa 1951. Tolkien eventually incorporated this as the first part of a "Common Eldarin Morphology", describing how the inflexional categories of Quenya (and the other Eldarin tongues) developed in Common Eldarin by extension and combination of the base-structures, affixes, and other elements inherited from Common Quendian, as described in the "Tengwesta Qenderinwa" (Parma 18). The tendency of certain derived noun-stem types to be associated with gender is discussed, along with a more general description of the Eldarin process of contriving personal names.

External links[edit | edit source]


Parma Eldalamberon issues
Issue 1 · Issue 2 · Issue 3 · Issue 4 · Issue 5 · Issue 6 · Issue 7 · Issue 8 · Issue 9 · Issue 10 ·
Issue 11 · Issue 12 · Issue 13 · Issue 14 · Issue 15 · Issue 16 · Issue 17 · Issue 18 · Issue 19 · Issue 20 ·
Issue 21 · Issue 22