essë (2) pron? "he" (and also "she, it"?), possible emphatic 3rd sg. emphatic pronoun, attested in the sentence essë úpa nas "he is dumb" (PE17:126)
Quenya
-ro
he
essë
he
hye
pronoun. other person, him (the other)
Derivations
Element in
- Q. melin sé apa lanyë hé “I love him but not him (the other)” ✧ VT49/15
- Q. melinyes apa la hé “I love him but not him (the other)” ✧ VT49/15
- Q. se — hye — hye — “he [A] struck him [B] and he [B] fled” ✧ VT49/14; VT49/14
- Q. sustanë Manwëo súlë ten i indo Sindicollo ar he lastanë ar carnes “*the spirit of Manwe blew unto the heart of Thingol and he listened and did it” ✧ NM/239
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶khyē̆ > hye [kʰje] > [xje] > [j̊e] ✧ VT49/14 √khē̆ > hé [kʰē] > [xē] > [hē] ✧ VT49/15 Variations
- he ✧ NM/239
- hé ✧ VT49/15; VT49/15
hé
pronoun. other person, him (the other)
Element in
- Q.
hela“*other than”
-lto
they
-lto, "Qenya" pronominal ending "they"; see -ltë
-ltë
they
-ltë, 3rd person pl. pronominal suffix, "they" (VT49:51; cariltë "they do", VT49:16, 17). It alternates with -ntë in Tolkiens manuscripts (VT49:17, 57). In his early material, the ending also appears as -lto, occurring in Fíriel's Song (meldielto "they are beloved" and cárielto "they made"), also in LT1:114: tulielto "they have come" (cf. VT49:57). Compare -lta, -ltya as the ending for "their".
-ltë
suffix. they
Derivations
- ✶te “they” ✧ VT49/50
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶te/se > -lte [-lte] ✧ VT49/50 Variations
- -lte ✧ PE17/075; PE17/190; VT49/16; VT49/17 (-lte); VT49/51
-ntë
they
-ntë "they", pronomimal ending, inflexion of 3rd person plural when no subject is previously mentioned (CO; see also VT49:49). This ending competes with -ltë (q.v.) in Tolkiens conception (VT49:57; for "they do", both carintë and cariltë are attested, VT49:16 vs. 17). The corresponding pronominal possessive suffix appears as -ntya or -nta in various sources.
-ntë
suffix. they
Variations
- -nte ✧ PE17/057; PE17/190; UT/317; VT49/17
-ttë
they
-ttë (1) "they", dual 3rd person pronominal ending ("the two of them") (VT49:51), replacing (also within the legendarium) the older ending -stë (which was later used for the second person only). This older ending -stë corresponds to a possessive ending -sta "their" (VT49:16), but this was presumably likewise altered to *-tta as the new ending for dual "their" = "of the two of them".
toi
they
toi pron. "they" (FS; replaced by te in LotR-style Quenya?)
se
he, she, it
se (1) pron. "he, she, it" also object "him, her, it", 3rd person sg. Used "of living things including plants" (VT49:37; the corresponding inaimate pronoun is sa). The pronoun comes directly from se as the original stem-form (VT49:50). Stressed form sé, VT49:51, attested in object position in melin sé "I love him" (VT49:21). Ósë "with him/her", VT43:29; see ó-. Long dative/allative sena "[to/for] him" or "at him", VT49:14, allative senna "to him/her" (VT49:45, 46). Compare the reflexive pronoun insë *"himself, herself".
se
pronoun. he, she, it (animate)
Derivations
- ✶se “he, she, it, 3rd person singular pronoun” ✧ VT49/50
Element in
- Q. antanen hatal sena “I cast a spear at him” ✧ VT49/14
- Q. antanen parma sen “I gave a book to him” ✧ PE17/091
- Q. insë “himself, herself”
- Q. melin sé apa lanyë hé “I love him but not him (the other)” ✧ VT49/15
- Q. se — hye — hye — “he [A] struck him [B] and he [B] fled” ✧ VT49/15
- Q. veryanen senna “*I married/joined to him/her” ✧ VT49/45
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶se/te > sé [sē] ✧ VT49/50 Variations
- se ✧ NM/176; PE17/129; VT49/15; VT49/32; VT49/37
- sé ✧ VT49/15; VT49/51
te
they, them
te pron. "they, them", 3rd person pl. (VT49:51, LotR3:VI ch. 4, translated in Letters:308). The pronoun te represents an original stem-form (VT49:50). Dative ten, téna or tien "for them, to them" (q.v.) Stressed té (VT49:51). Ótë "with them", q.v. VT43:20 connects te "them" with a discussion of Common Eldarin pronominal stems (ca. 1940s), where te is the "personal" 3rd person pl. stem, referring to persons rather than abstracts or inanimates (which are denoted by ta instead; see, however, the entry ta #3 regarding the problems with this form, and the hints that te may possibly be used with reference to inanimates as well)). Also consider the reflexive pronoun intë "themselves", the final element of which is apparently this pronoun te; see also tú for the dual form.
-rya
his, her
-rya 3rd person sg. pronominal ending "his, her" and probably "its" (VT49:16, 38, 48, Nam, RGEO:67), attested in coivierya *"his/her life", máryat "her hands", ómaryo "of her voice" (genitive of *ómarya "her voice"), súmaryassë "in her bosom" (locative of súmarya "her bosom"); for the meaning "his" cf. coarya "his house" (WJ:369). The ending is descended from primitive ¤-sjā via -zya (VT49:17) and therefore connects with the 3rd person ending -s "he, she, it". In colloquial Quenya the ending -rya could be used for "their" rather than "his/her", because it was felt to be related to the plural ending -r,e.g. símaryassen "in their [not his/her] imaginations" (VT49:16, 17). See -ya #4.
-së
suffix. he, she, it
-ya
his
-ya (4) pronominal suffix "his" (and probably also "her, its"), said to be used in "colloquial Quenya" (which had redefined the "correct" ending for this meaning, -rya, to mean "their" because it was associated with the plural ending -r). Hence e.g. cambeya ("k") "his hand", yulmaya "his cup" (VT49:17) instead of formally "correct" forms in -rya. The ending -ya was actually ancient, primitive ¤-jā being used for "all numbers" in the 3rd person, predating elaborated forms like -rya. It is said that -ya "remained in Quenya" in the case of "old nouns with consonantal stems", Tolkien listing tál "foot", cas "head", nér "man", sír "river" and macil "sword" as examples. He refers to "the continued existence of such forms as talya his foot", that could apparently be used even in "correct" Quenya (VT49:17). In PE17:130, the forms talya "his foot" and macilya ("k") "his (or their) sword" are mentioned.
anta-
give
anta- (1) vb. "give" (ANA1, MC:215, 221), pa.t. antanë (antanen "I gave", VT49:14) or †ánë, perfect ánië (PE17:147, cf. QL:31). According to VT49:14, Tolkien noted that anta- was sometimes often with an "ironic tone" to refer to missiles, so that antanen hatal sena "I gave him a spear (as a present)" was often used with the real sense of "I cast a spear at him". Usually the recipient of the thing given is mentioned in the dative or allative case (like sena in this example), but there is also a construction similar to English "present someone with something" in which the recipient is the object and the gift appears in the instrumental case: antanenyes parmanen, "I presented him with a book" (PE17:91). The verb occurs several times in FS: antalto"they gave"; strangely, no past tense marker seems to be present (see -lto for the ending); antar a pl. verb translated "they gave", though in LotR-style Quenya it would rather be the present tense "give" (pl.); antaróta "he gave it" (anta-ró-ta "gave-he-it"), another verb occurring in Fíriel's Song, once again with no past tense marker. Also antáva "will give", future tense of anta- "give"; read perhaps *antuva in LotR-style Quenya; similarly antaváro* "he will give" (LR:63) might later have appeared as antuvas (with the ending -s rather than "Qenya" -ro for "he"). Antalë imperative "give thou" (VT43:17), sc. anta "give" + the element le "thou", but this was a form Tolkien abandoned. Apparently ana** was at one point considered as another imperative "give", but Tolkien rewrote the text in question (VT44:13), and the normal patterns would suggest *á anta with an independent imperative particle.
essë
pronoun. he, *she, it (emphatic)
issë
pronoun. he, *she, it (emphatic)
Element in
- Q. essë úpa nas “he is dumb” ✧ PE17/126
Variations
- esse ✧ PE17/126
- isse ✧ PE22/162
ta
they, them
ta (3) pron. "they, them", an "impersonal" 3rd person pl. stem, referring "only to 'abstracts' or to things (such as inanimates) not by the Eldar regarded as persons" (VT43:20, cf. ta as an inanimate Common Eldarin plural pronoun, VT49:52). Compare te, q.v. The word ta occurring in some versions of Tolkien's Quenya Lord's Prayer may exemplify this use of ta as an "impersonal" plural pronoun: emmë avatyarir ta** "we forgive them" (VT43:8, 9; this refers to trespasses, not the trespassers). However, since Tolkien also wanted ta to mean "that" (see #1 above), he may seem to be somewhat dissatisfied with ta "they, them", introducing variant forms like tai (VT49:32) to free up ta as a sg. pronoun. In one document, tai was in turn altered to te (VT49:33), which could suggest that the distinction between animate and inanimate "they, them" was abandoned and the form te (q.v.) could be used for both. In some documents, Tolkien seems to use tar as the plural form (VT49:56 mentions this as an uncertain reading in a source where the word was struck out; compare ótar under ó**-).
tai
they, them
tai (2) pron. "they, them", 3rd person pl., used with reference to inanimates rather than persons or living things (VT49:32, see ta #3 above). Perhaps to avoid the clash with tai "that which", the pronoun tai "they, them" was altered to te in at least one manuscript (VT49:33), so that it would merge with the pronoun used of living beings and the distinction between animate and inanimate would be abandoned (see te).
tú
they, them
tú pron. "they, them", 3rd person dual ("the two of them"), both "personal and neuter" (the pronoun can be used of persons and things alike). (VT49:51) Tolkien also considered tet for the same meaning, listing it alongside tú in one source (VT49:56), but this form was apparently abandoned.
-s
suffix. he, she, it
-zya
his, her, its
-zya, archaic form of the pronominal ending -rya "his, her, its", q.v. (VT49:17)
-s(së)
suffix. he, she, it; him, her, it
Derivations
- ✶se “he, she, it, 3rd person singular pronoun” ✧ VT49/50
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶se/te > -s [-se] > [-s] ✧ VT49/50 Variations
- -s ✧ PE17/075; PE17/075; PE17/110; PE17/190; VT49/16; VT49/48; VT49/51
- -re ✧ PE17/075
- se ✧ PE22/161
- -sse ✧ VT49/28
- -se ✧ VT49/51
caris
he/him, she/her, it
-s (1) 3rd person sg. pronominal ending "he/him, she/her, it" (VT49:48, 51), occurring in caris "he/she/it does" (VT49:16, PE17:129), caitas "it lies" (PE17:65), tentanes "it pointed" (VT49:26), tulis "(s)he comes" (VT49:19), eques (q.v.), anes (see ná #1), also (in object position) in camnelyes, caritas, caritalya(s), melinyes, tiruvantes, and utúvienyes, q.v. (Tolkien mentions -s as an "objective" ending for the 3rd person sg. in PE17:110.) The longer form -së (perhaps with personal meaning "he, she" only) is said to be "rare" (VT49:51); cf. násë "he is", nésë "he was" (see ná #1). In nésë the ending is suggested to be shortened from -sse (VT49:28), an ending that may also be attested in the untranslated verbal form tankassen (PE17:76), where it is perhaps followed by a second pronominal ending -n "me". According to PE17:129, the 3rd person sg. ending at one stage appeared as -ze "when pronominal affixes followed" (Tolkien citing the form carize-, e.g. apparently *carizet for "he makes them"); normally z would later become r, but it actually became (historically: reverted to) s by analogy with the short form caris as well as the independent pronoun se*. Exilic Quenya would then evidently have (e.g.) cariset for "he makes them", with a rare example of intervocalic s that is not derived from older þ**.
-ro pronominal ending "he", in antaváro, q.v. In Tolkiens later Quenya, the ending -s covers both "he", "she" and "it".