lá

preposition/adverb. beyond, across, athwart, over

A preposition for “beyond” and an element in better-known pella of similar meaning. Tolkien described it extensively in some notes from around 1965 trying to determine why pella was used as post-position (PE17/65). Tolkien first considered making lá a deictic (demonstrative) element referring to something like “far away [there]”, so that lá was also used as a post-position as in Andúne lá “beyond (distant) Andúne”, while pella had a more elaborate meaning as in Andúne pella “beyond the boundary fixed in or by Andúne”.

Tolkien was dissatisfied with this derivation, however, because of its similarity to French là = “there”. He instead decided that lā was a preposition or adverb meaning “across, over, beyond” based on √LAŊ. He decided pella should be modified to palla where the initial element was √PAL “broad, wide” also seen in palan “far”. This revision of pella >> palla did not appear elsewhere, however.

In this 1965 note Tolkien said that lá was static and had different moving forms like allative lanna, as in caitas lá i sír “it is [lies] beyond the river” vs. lendes lann’ i sír “he came [went] to a point beyond the river”.

The word lá “beyond” reappeared in notes on comparison from around 1967, where it was the normal way of saying “A is brighter than B”: A (ná) kalima lá B, more literally “A is bright beyond B” (PE17/90). In this note Tolkien derived lá from √LAƷA “cross, pass over, go beyond” similar to the conclusion of the 1965 note above (PE17/91), but in 1967 its elaboration was once again pella “beyond the boundary” (PE17/92).

Conceptual Development: The earliest precursor of this word was probably ᴱQ. la “before” appearing in the English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s (PE15/70). In the contemporaneous Early Qenya Grammar, this word was used in comparisons to mean “than” (PE14/48, 81). Contrast this with a 1957-59 document where epë “before” was used for comparison (PE17/56), and the 1967 document mentioned above where lá was again used for comparison but in its later sense “beyond” (PE17/90-92).

In drafts of the Oilima Markirya poem from around 1930, the similar word ᴱQ. ala appeared, first with the sense “before” (PE16/62, 68) and then with the sense “after” (MC/221). The final version of the Oilima Markirya presented in the “A Secret Vice” essay circa 1930 had ala with the translation “beyond” (MC/214). This last instance was the likely precursor to later lá “beyond”, and the version of Markirya poem from the 1960s used post-position pella instead of preposition ala.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would assume lá is a preposition or adverb meaning “beyond” or “across” in the sense “past or on the other side of”: i coa hare lá i síre “the house sits beyond/across/on the other side of the river (either close or far)”. It can be used of both physical and metaphorical position, and in this metaphorical sense can be used for comparison: Aragorn (ná) halla lá Gimli “Aragorn is tall beyond Gimli” = “taller than Gimli”. Lá can be used in the sense “over” as in “over there”, but for “over = above” I would instead use Q. or. In English “beyond” sometimes has a connotation of great distance due to its connection to “yonder” but that is not the case for simple lá in Quenya; “far beyond” would instead be haila.

lá

no, not

lá (1) adv. "no, not" (LA, VT45:25) According to VT42:33, lá is the stressed form, alternating with la when the negation is unstressed. In another conceptual phase of Tolkien's, lá had the opposite meaning "yes" (VT42:32-33), but this idea is contradicted by both earlier and later material: usually lá is conceived as a negation. The negation can receive tense markers and be used as a negative verb "when [another] verb is not expressed" (VT49:13), apparently where the phrase "is not" is followed by a noun or an adjective as a predicate, or where some verb is understood, as in English "I do not" (i.e. "I do not do whatever the context indicates"). With pronominal endings la- in the aorist, e.g. lanyë "I do not, am not" (etc.) (Tolkien abandoned the form lamin.) Exemplified in the sentence melin sé apa lanyë hé *"I love him but I do not [love] him" (another person) (VT49:15). Present tense laia, past lánë, perfect alaië, future lauva.

lá

athwart, over, across, beyond

lá (2) prep. "athwart, over, across, beyond" (PE17:65), also used in phrases of comparison, e.g. "A ná calima lá B", A is bright beyond (= brighter than) B (VT42:32).

lá

please

[lá (3) interjection? "please" (reading of gloss uncertain)(VT45:25)]

lá

adverb. no, not

lá

not to be/do

lá

interjection. yes

lá-

verb. to not be

lá umë

no indeed not, on the contrary

lá umë > laumë negation "no indeed not, on the contrary" ("also used for asking incredulous questions"). This is a combination of the negation lá "not" and the negative verb umë "is not, does not" (LA)

(a)lá

interjection. yes

a (ná) calima lá b

A is brighter than B; (lit.) A is bright beyond B

[needs to be organized]

alasaila ná lá carë tai mo nave mára

it is unwise not to do what one judges good

arcas i arano, lá i tário

the king’s crown, not the queen’s

arcas i arano lá macil

‘the king’s crown, not sword

caitas lá i sír

it is beyond the river

la-, lá-

prefix. {negative element}

lá asanyë

I don’t wish to, I don’t agree

lá carita i hamil mára alasaila ná

not to do (in this case) what you judge good (would be) unwise

lá caritas, navin, alasaila ná

not doing this would be (I think) unwise

lá caritas alasaila cé nauva

not doing this may be/prove unwise

quistanyes: lá istan

I suppose so, I don’t know