rá (1) [changed by Tolkien from hrá], prep. "on behalf of", followed by dative: rá men or contracted rámen "for us, on our behalf" (VT43:27, 28, 33). As these examples indicate, independent dative pronouns may be (but do not have to be) directly suffixed to rá. Nouns would presumably not be suffixed like this, e.g. *rá Eldan "for an Elf, on behalf of an Elf".
Quenya
rá
noun. lion
Cognates
- ᴺS. raw “lion”
Derivations
Element in
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶rāw > rá [rāw] > [rā] ✧ PE19/099 ✶rāw > rá [rāw] > [rā] ✧ PE19/104 Variations
- rá ✧ PE19/099 (rá); PE19/104
rá
on behalf of
rá
lion
rá (2) noun "lion", stem #ráv- as in the pl. rávi (RAW). Compare rau.
rá
arm
rá (3) noun "arm" (LT2:335, there spelt râ; probably obsoleted by # 2 (and # 1) above. In Tolkien's later Quenya, "arm" is ranco)
rá
preposition. *for, on behalf of
Element in
- Q. á hyamë rámen úcarindor “pray for us sinners” ✧ VT43/33; VT43/33
- ᴺQ. ráquen “representative, ambassador”
Variations
- rá ✧ VT43/33
- hrá ✧ VT43/33
rá†
noun. lion
lion
hrá
hrá
hrá, see rá
rámen
rámen
rámen, see rá
hrá
preposition. *for, on behalf of
rauro
noun. lion
The common Quenya word for “lion” (more literally “roarer”) appearing in the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the 1950s, as opposed to archaic Q. †rá (PE19/99, 104); see that entry for further discussion of its conceptual development.
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶rāw > raurō [rauro] ✧ PE19/099 ✶rau̯rō > rauro [raurō] > [rauro] ✧ PE19/104 Variations
- raurō ✧ PE19/099
rau
lion
rau (pl. rávi) noun "lion" (LT1:260; the pl. of this "Qenya" form is valid in Tolkien's later Quenya as well, but the sg. he changed to rá, q.v.)
ranco
arm
ranco ("k")noun "arm", stem *rancu- given the primitive form ¤ranku, hence also pl. ranqui ("q")(RAK)
rauro
noun. lion
lion
atarmë
for us
atarmë dative (?) pron. "for us" (VT44:18; Tolkien apparently considered dropping this curious form, which in another text was replaced by rá men, rámen; see rá #1)
me
we, us
me (1) 1st person pl. exclusive pronoun "we, us" (VT49:51; VT43:23, VT44:9). This pronoun preserves the original stem-form (VT49:50). Stressed mé (VT49:51). Cf. also mel-lumna "us-is-heavy", sc. *"is heavy for us" (LR:47, mel- is evidently an assimilated form of men "for us", dative of me; the form men is attested by itself, VT43:21). For me as object, cf. álamë** "do not [do something to] us", negative imperative particle with object pronoun suffixed (VT43:19: álamë tulya, "do not lead us"), ámen** "do [something for] us", imperative particle with dative pronoun suffixed (ámen apsenë "forgive us", VT43:12, 18). Dual exclusive met "we/us (two)" (Nam, VT49:51), "you and me" (VT47:11; the latter translation would make met an inclusive pronoun, though it is elsewhere suggested that it is rather exclusive: "him/her and me", corresponding to wet [q.v.] as the true inclusive dual form). Rá men or rámen "for us/on our behalf", see rá. Locative messë "on us", VT44:12 (also with prefix o, ó- ?"with" in the same source). See also ménë, ómë.
-lmë
we
-lmë 1st person pl. pronominal ending: "we" (VT49:38; 51 carilmë *"we do", VT49:16). It was originally intended to be inclusive "we" (VT49:48), including the person(s) spoken to, but by 1965 Tolkien made this the ending for exclusive "we" instead (cf. the changed definition of the corresponding possessive ending -lma, see above). _(VT49:38) Exemplified in laituvalmet "we shall bless them" (lait-uva-lme-t "bless-shall-we-them") (the meaning apparently changed from inclusive to exclusive "we", VT49:55), see also nalmë under ná# 1. (LotR3:VI ch. 4, translated in Letters:308_)
-mmë
we
-mmë "we", 1st person dual exclusive pronominal ending: "I and one other" (compare the inclusive dual form -ngwë or -nquë). First written -immë in one source (VT49:57). Carimmë, "the two of us do" (VT49:16, cf. VT43:6). At an earlier conceptual stage, the ending was already exclusive, but plural rather than dual: vammë "we won't" (WJ:371), firuvammë "we will die" (VT43:34), etemmë ?"out of us" (VT43:36); see also VT49:48, 49, 55. Also compare the corresponding emphatic pronoun emmë (q.v.). The ending -lmë replaced -mmë in its former (plural exclusive) sense. In some early material, -mmë was apparently used as an ending for plural inclusive "we" (VT49:55).
-ngwë
we
-ngwë "we", 1st person dual inclusive pronominal ending: "thou and I" (compare the exclusive dual form -mmë). Caringwë, "the two of us do" (VT49:16). One source lists the ending as "-inke > -inque" instead (VT49:51, 53, 57; "inke" was apparently Old Quenya). In an earlier pronoun table reproduced in VT49:48, the ending -ngwë is listed as an alternative to -lmë, which Tolkien at the time used as the plural inclusive ending (a later revision made it plural exclusive).
emmë
we
emmë (2) pron. "we", emphatic pronoun; dative emmen (VT43:12, 20). In the source this pronoun is intended as the 1st person plural exclusive; later Tolkien changed the corresponding pronominal ending from -mmë to -lmë, and the plural emphatic pronoun would likewise change from emmë to *elmë. Since the ending -mmë was redefined as a dualexclusive pronoun, the form emmë may still be valid as such, as a dual emphatic pronoun "we" = "(s)he and I".
ngwin
for us
ngwin dative pronoun ?"for us" _(VT21:6-7, 10, VT44:36). _Apparently belonging to the 1st person pl. It would be pronounced *nwin* at the end of the Third Age, but since Tolkien in another source implies that the 1st pl. exclusive base ñwe had the "independent" stem we- in Quenya (VT48:10), we must assume that the dative pronoun should rather be wen**, or in Exilic Quenya *ven. The form ngwin may reflect another conceptual phase when Tolkien meant the nasal element of ñwe to be preserved in Quenya as well. The vowel i rather than e is difficult to account for if the base is to be (ñ)we. In VT49:55, Carl F. Hosttetter suggests that ngwen rather than ngwin may actually be the correct reading of Tolkiens manuscript.
atar
preposition. *for
Changes
- atar → meter “*for” ✧ VT43/33
Element in
- Q. a Aina Maria arca atarmë “Holy Mary, pray for us” ✧ VT44/18
- Q. á hyamë rámen úcarindor “pray for us sinners” ✧ VT43/33; VT43/33; VT43/33
Variations
- atar ✧ VT43/33; VT44/18
-lwë
we
-lwë, later -lvë, pronominal ending "we" (VT49:51), 1st person pl. inclusive ending, occurring in the verbs carilwë "we do" (VT49:16) and navilwë (see #nav-). The ending became -lvë in later, Exilic Quenya (VT49:51). See -lv-.
ve
we
ve (2) pron. "we", 1st person pl. inclusive (corresponding to exclusive me), derived from an original stem-form we (VT49:50, PE17:130). Variant vi, q.v. Stressed wé, later vé (VT49:51). Dative (*wéna >) véna, VT49:14. Dual wet*, later vet "the two of us" (inclusive; cf. exclusive met) (VT49:51). Also compare the dative form ngwin or ngwen (q.v.), but this would apparently be wen > ven** according to Tolkiens later ideas.
vi
we
vi pron. "we", 1st person inclusive (PE17:130), variant of ve #2.
véna
for us
véna pron. "for us", (long) dative form of ve # 2, q.v.
we
we
we, wé, see ve #2
An archaic word for “lion” mentioned in the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the 1950s, versus more common Q. rauro (PE19/99, 104).
Conceptual Development: This word has a lengthy history in Tolkien’s conception of Elvish, dating all the way back to ᴱQ. rau “lion” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, a derivative of the early root ᴱ√RAVA (QL/79). In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, Tolkien had rú “lion” (PE21/40). It appeared in The Etymologies from later in the 1930s as ᴹQ. rá “lion” derived from primitive ᴹ✶rāu [rāw] under the root ᴹ√RAW, with plural form rávi (Ety/RAW).
In the Outline of Phonetic Development (OP1) from this period Tolkien had (unglossed) rāva < rāwa (PE19/62), but in Notes for Qenya Declensions from the 1940s Tolkien had (unglossed) rāu < rắwă (PE21/69). The last clear mention in currently published materials is in the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the 1950s, as discussed above.