Parma Eldalamberon 18

[Druss]

PARMA ELDALAMBERON 18

Tengwesta Qenderinwa and
Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets, Part 2

By J. R. R. TOLKIEN

http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma18.html

_Parma Eldalamberon_ 'The Book of Elven-tongues' is a journal of the
Elvish Linguistic Fellowship, a special interest group of the
Mythopoeic Society. The current issue presents previously unpublished
writings by J. R. R. Tolkien concerning his Elvish languages and early
versions of his invented scripts. These have been edited and annotated
by Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith and Patrick H. Wynne, under
the guidance of Christopher Tolkien and with the permission of the
Tolkien Estate.

The _Tengwesta Qenderinwa_ is a grammar of the Primitive Quendian
language, which Tolkien imagined to be the common ancestor of the
various Elven-tongues spoken in Middle-earth, such as Quenya, Noldorin,
Lemberin and Pereldarin (the last two later called Sindarin and Nandorin).
The earliest version of the _Tengwesta Qenderinwa_ was composed in the
late 1930s around the same time as the _Etymologies._ It describes the
grammatical rules for the structure of Quendian bases and the derivation
of primitive stems and words from them. The grammar gives an "Account
of the Simple Component Sounds"; and has sections on "Base-structure";
"Combination of Sounds in Word-formation"; "Suffixion"; and
"Accentuation." There is also an introductory section on the "Descent
of Tongues" that outlines the historical divisions of the various
Elven-kindreds and the languages they spoke.

Tolkien revised the _Tengwesta Qenderinwa_ extensively in the early
1950s after completing the composition of _The Lord of the Rings,_
incorporating new conceptions of the linguistic history which had
emerged by then or those that arose during revisions to the _Quenta
Silmarillion_ and associated writings in Tolkien's legendarium. The
earliest and latest versions of the _Tengwesta Qenderinwa_ are presented
in this issue of _Parma Eldalamberon,_ along with an editorial analysis
of the stages of revision that the text underwent between the 1930s and
1950s, and notes on the relation of the linguistic data in the text to that
found in the _Etymologies._

The "Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets" is an edition of Tolkien's charts and
notes from about 1924 to 1929 dealing with the scripts that
conceptually precede the Fëanorian Tengwar which would eventually be
included in _The Lord of the Rings._ This issue of _Parma Eldalamberon_
contains "Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets, Part 2," with the alphabets called
Qenyatic, Andyoqenya and Angloquenya, in modes which were
designed for writing English. Tolkien's examples of the scripts are
reproduced in fascimile. These include charts of the sounds represented
by the letters, and various English words and texts written in the scripts.
Transcriptions of the examples and editorial commentary on the dating
and historical background are provided.

Cover art by Adam Victor Christensen.

_Parma Eldalamberon_ Issue Number 18 is a 150-page journal.
Available for shipping November 23, 2009.

The pre-publication cost is $30 per copy including postage and handling.

Payment through PayPal can be made at:

http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma18.html

Or send check or money-order (U.S. funds only) to:

Christopher Gilson
1240 Dale Avenue, No. 40
Mountain View, CA 94040
U.S.A.