Guide To Learning Quenya
Introduction
Ok, I have written this in response to the many emails I seem to be writing about which ways
are the easiest to learn Quenya. I hope that this answers some of your questions, if you would
still like to ask questions after reading through this short guide, feel free to email me at
darkman@callnetuk.com. Right, onto the guide...
Quenya / Sindarin... Whats the Difference?
If you are new to Elvish, you may be wondering about Quenya and Sindarin, and how different
they actually are.
Basically, Quenya is the oldest of the 2 tongues, and is used by the high elves of
the west (beyond the sea in the west), and is the closest to the oldest
tongue.
Sindarin is the newer form of elvish used by the Grey elves of the
Middle-Earth. Sindarin is often seen as being slightly more poetic than
Quenya, but I have done very little work with Sindarin, so I cannot vouch for that..
How Can I Learn Quenya? / What Resources Are Available?
Well, the first thing to realise, is that learning Sindarin or Quenya is no different to
learning any other 'real-world' language. Its not just a few sentences that were written
in Tolkiens books, they are actual languages which were developed, and they have their own
unique points and writing styles. Still not put off? Good! Well, basically, there are 2 main
methods of learning / finding out more about Quenya, and they are the internet and
various books.
Quenya on the Internet
I have tried to include a list of all of the Quenya sites that I can find on the internet
related to learning the Elvish Tongue. However, there is a surprising lack of links that
actually detail the learning of the language, until recently that is. Thanks to
Helge Frauskanger, the author of the wonderful
Ardalambion Site, there is now a course available
online to aid with the learning of the language!
The Course can be found here:
http://www.uib.no/People/hnohf/qcourse.htm
Unfortunately, I have only had chance to view small parts of the course so far. I intend to
look at it more deeply a short time in the future. However, I have heard from a few people
that this course is very complete, in-depth, and large. I think it focusses slightly less on
the vocals of the language, and more on the writing of the language, but again, I am unsure
of this.
If this course if not enough for you, then Appleyard wrote a paper on the Language, and this
is also a very in-depth and detailed look into the language. I have included a zipped version
of the HTML page on my file page, and you can download it directly by
clicking here.
I must confess, I think that these are the only major resources for learning Quenya as of yet,
but they are definately sufficient, only they are perhaps both a little complex to start with
for beginners.
Books About Quenya
I only actually own 1 quenya book. From what I have heard it is the most
detailed about the language, and is probably the best book available on
Elvish. However, there are some parts of the book that have been superceded
by the Silmarillion book, so it may be worth getting hold of a copy of that
one too.
Anyway, the Quenya book that I got was called
"An Introduction to Elvish and to Other Tongues and Proper Names and Writing
Systems of the Third Age of the Western Lands of Middle-Earth as Set Forth in
the Published Writings of Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien " -By Jim Allan.
For more information and reviews, here is a link to the book on
Amazon.
Finally, you mustn't forget the usefulness of the Appendices in the Lord of the Rings, and
the Silmarillion. They both contain some very interesting information on Quenya, and are both
books that can be used for basic reference as well as for their story.
Finale
Well, I hope that this is useful to some of you - if you find any errors in this, or if you
have some comments on the resources I have detailed herein, please send me an email at the
above address! I am always interested in peoples comments.
