Chapter 3 - Chapter 3 -Adjectives

 
Adjective[/b]-describes a noun –Tolkien designed language to havedefinite European styles.
 
q       “red book” – using adj. attributively.
q       Wholepoint of sentence is the trait “the book is red” using predicatively. Theadjective is the predicate.
q       Manylanguages use “the book red” to emphasize this- in Quenya,use is/are- it couples the subject to the adjective, so is/are is called acopula. (ye)
q       Adjectivesend in –a or-ë, but the latter is less common- usuallyonly occurring in colors. Ninque (white) more (black)carne (red) varne (brown).
q       Ifthey do not end in the other two, it ends in –in : firin(dead) hwarin (crooked) melin(dear)- latin(open) though is also reported as latina- rare adj. in any otherform- teren (slender)- also terene
 
q       Adjectivesin –a – may appear by itself but more often part of a group: -ya, -wa, -da/-na/-ma  Vanya (beautiful), Helwa (blue), Melda (dear) Quenya=Elvish J
q       Adjectivesin Quenya can be used either way. “linte yuldar” swift draughts or“I yuldar nar linte”
q       Luini tellumar(blue vaults)quante tengwi(full signs)fána cirya(white ship)practice
q       Alsopermissible is adj. following noun to emphasize the adjective. Anar púrea (a sun bleared) Malle téra –straight road asopposed to a bent one
q       Noun+Adj also used in titles like ElendilVoronda – Elendil theFaithful (Mahatma Gandhi)
q       “the book red is” order is also permissible but not ascommonly attested for.
q       Lá caritas alasaila ná (not to do it, unwise is) (usaila)
q       Noword for ‘brighter’ say “A ná calimalá B” A is bright beyond B
Using no copula Ilu vanya (the world is fair) maller raicar (roads are bent)
-A calmialá B –form usually used in poetry to save a syllable
 
 
Adjectival agreement in number:
Quenya adjectives agree in numberwith the nouns they describe-like our nouns+Adj.
“2 horses” – “2 brown horses”< English  “2 brownshorses” < Quenya
q       Inolder Quenya, adjectives were changed just likeplural nouns
q       ExilicQuenya- Noldor return-quanta (full) quantai
q      LOTR time
 
·         -a   =    -e (for older ai)
·         -ea  =    -ie  (to avoid –ee)
·         -e   =    -i 
·         in    =    -i
 
q       Raica- raicë  
q       archaicquenya- laurea- laureai- lauree- Exilic/LOTR (Namarie)= laurie
q       luinë- blue   luini tellumar
q       Aiwë- Aiwi
 
 
Vocabulary- [/b]
 
Except for the two first items, all of these are adjectives
 
neldë"three"
ná"is" (nar "are")
vanya"beautiful, fair"
alta"great" (physical size)
calima"bright"
taura"mighty"
saila"wise" (archaic saira)
úmëa"evil"
carnë"red"
ninquë"white"
morë"black" (Mordor!)
firin"dead"
 Exercises1. Translate into English:
 
A. Morë rocco.
B. Calimë hendu.
C. Neldë firini neri.
D. Vanyë aiwi.
E. Tári ná taura nís.
F. I oronti nar altë.
G. Aran taura (two possibletranslations!)
H. I nér ar i nísnar sailë.
 
2. Translate into Quenya:
 
I. The white gate.
J. A great ship.
K. The floor is red.
L. One black stone and three white stones.
M. Wise kings are mighty men.
N. The mighty man and the beautiful woman are evil.
O. Elves are beautiful.
P. The Elves are a beautifulpeople.
 
 
 
 
Answers!![/b]
 
 
1.
A. A black horse.
B. Bright eyes (hendu = a natural pair of eyes).
C. Three dead men.
D. Beautiful birds.
E. A queen is a mightywoman.
F. The mountains aregreat.
G. Best interpreted"a king [is] mighty", the copula being left out and understood, butit could also mean "a mighty king" with a somewhat unusual word-order(an attributive adjective would more often come before the noun itdescribes: taura aranrather than aran taura).
H. The man and the womanare wise.
 
Theoretically at least, exercises A, C, and D could also be interpreted"black [is] a horse", "bright [are] eyes", "beautiful[are] birds", the copula being left out just asin Exercise G. But when the adjective comes immediately in front of the noun itdescribes, it must normally be assumed that it is used attributively and notpredicatively. On the other hand, when the order is noun + adjective, as in G,a copula "is/are" may well be left out.
 
2.
I. I ninquë ando.
J. Alta cirya.
K. I talan ná carnë.
L. Minëmorë sarar neldë ninqui sardi.
M. Sailëarani nar taurë neri.
N. I taura nér ari vanya nísnar úmië.
O. Eldarnar vanyë.
P. Eldarnar vanya lië. (Notice that here, theadjective agrees in number with the singular noun lië"a people", which it describes attributively. It does not agree withthe plural noun "Elves", as in the previous exercise.)
 
(In exercises K, M, N, O, P, thecopula ná/nar may be left out andunderstood.)

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